7 Hotel Horror
by Shenice
Summary: Nancy Drew and the Hardy Boys team up to find the suspect behind the threats aimed towards Lucy Berwyn, the beautiful new hotel manager of the Berwyn Estate. Will their search at the luxurious hotel bring them peace and tranquility or danger and despair? Read on to find out!
1. Saying Goodbye

_I would like to thank all of my reviewers on my one-shot titled "The Formal." I appreciated the feedback so much that I decided to go ahead and write a full length story! Honestly I wouldn't be doing this if it weren't for the reviewers, so thank you so much. This is a mystery involving Nancy Drew and the Hardy Boys. Nancy is 28 years old and has been in a relationship with Ned for 7 years. Frank is 28, Joe is 26, and they both work as detectives for different agencies across the country. Nancy is a private detective for the police force, but if Ned has anything to do with it, she will give up her career and start a family with him. If you all like this story and review, I promise to update frequently. I hope you enjoy! xx_

"I don't like the sound of this one bit." Ned watched Nancy Drew hurriedly cram her clothes into a suitcase. "You get one little phone call and you immediately drop your entire life to go?"

"This is my life, Ned. It's my job to get up and go wherever a case needs me." Nancy looked up at her boyfriend of seven years. She saw pain in his eyes, along with another emotion. What was it? Anger? She hoped Ned would understand. Nancy quickly shifted her direction to her closet door. _Maybe I should pack a jacket._

She and Ned were enjoying a beautiful day in the park when Nancy got a call from Stellar Agencies. Nancy was skeptical to work with an agency that she was unfamiliar with, but as soon as they explained Frank and Joe Hardy requested she be a part of the case, Nancy quickly agreed to their proposition. She hadn't seen the brothers in years, and the thought of working with them again excited her. There was no other explanation as to exactly what the case entailed, but she agreed to pack her bags and depart on the earliest flight to Orlando, Florida.

"I thought I was your life." Ned interrupted Nancy from her thoughts.

"Ned, please. You know that I care so much about you – about us. Of course you are a part of my life, but so is my job. And when my job needs me, no matter how inopportune the timing is, I need to go."

"What about what I need, Nan? Have you ever thought for a second that maybe I need you more than your silly job? More than _the Hardy Boys?_" Ned seethed at the last part of his question.

Nancy wanted to console Ned, but her heart stung at his last remark. _Is that what he really thinks about my work?_

"Ned, please. Don't you know how difficult this is for me? You know how much I love you. Please understand."

"If this was a difficult decision for you, you wouldn't already be packing." Ned turned away from her and walked out of the room.

Nancy eyes filled with tears. It would simply be impossible to leave on a bad note with Ned. She hated to disappoint him, but she also wished he was more understanding. When they had first met, Ned found Nancy's work exciting. He always understood when she had to leave to some unknown destination for an unspecified amount of time. But as the two became a more serious couple, Ned's desires shifted towards starting a family, and his understanding soon turned into countless fights about when she would return and why she was spending so much time with the Hardy's. Could she really blame him though? All he wanted was to love her, to keep her in one place, to start a family with her. Although being 28 years old, Nancy's love for the job never dwindled. She hadn't even thought of having kids, let alone being married. But she always figured when she was ready for those decisions, Ned would be happily by her side. The thought that maybe Ned wouldn't be around for those moments unsettled her.

"Ned, wait!" She ran downstairs, finding Ned sitting at the kitchen table. "Please, come here. I need you." Nancy reached out her arms. Ned stared down at the table. He did not budge.

Tears were now streaming down her face at Ned's rejection. She quickly sat down next to him and grabbed his hands.

"Will you at least look at me, please?" Nancy's voice was desperate.

Ned peered up at her, an unhappy expression glued to his face.

"I know this is hard on you, but you knew who I was when you met me. I have always been grateful that I could count on you. Any time I'm on case I look forward to coming home and being with you. You can't expect me to just turn away from this case, regardless of who I am working with. It could be someone's life on the line."

Ned pulled away from Nancy's touch. He sternly looked at her as he spoke. "I met you when you were 21. I didn't think we would still be in the exact relationship seven years later. You seem to have no interest in taking the next step in this relationship. Your job may take work, but so do we." Ned stood up from the table. "This is the last case you can take where I will be waiting for you when you get back. We then need to discuss you settling down, being my wife. Understood?" There was a long pause. "Now finish getting packed, I'll drive you to the airport when you're done." Ned abruptly walked out of the room.

Nancy felt numb as Ned's dejected words sunk in. _You settling down, being my wife._ It was as if Ned wanted Nancy to just throw everything away for him. But she just couldn't bear to think about his words too much. She really needed to pack her things. Her conversation with Ned would just have to be finished later.

The drive to the airport was a silent one. Nancy was still in shock that Ned had uncharacteristically become dogmatic with her. She idly looked out the window, hoping to pass the time.

Ned let out a long sigh. "We're here." He turned to look at his girlfriend, meeting her sad gaze. "Have a safe flight."

"Thanks." Nancy awkwardly reached over the car and gave Ned a quick hug. Before she could pull away, Ned pulled her closer into his embrace.

"I love you, you know." Ned held on to her tightly.

"I know. Love you too." Nancy pulled away and swiftly exited the car. She grabbed her bags out of the trunk and walked towards the airport entrance. It took all her strength to turn around one last time and smile weakly at her boyfriend. He looked back at her unhappily. She turned towards the automatic doors and walked slowly into the airport. As soon as her back was facing Ned, tears began to stream down Nancy's face. It was going to be a long flight.


	2. Changed Times, Feelings High

"I wonder if we will have time to hit up Disney World." Joe was sitting next to his older brother in the airport terminal. Nancy's flight would be arriving any minute now.

"Joe, don't be ridiculous. We are here for business, not pleasure."

"Well last time I checked, you invited Nancy along. So I'm assuming you weren't in the mood for strictly business…"

Frank could feel his face burning up. "Stop it Joe! You and I both know she's a great detective. We need someone strong on our team if we want to prove ourselves worthy of working full-time at the agency."

Even though his brother was giving him a hard time, it was a struggle to remain collected. The thought of Nancy joining them for a case excited him in more ways than one. On the one hand, they would be getting a different perspective on the case from an extremely intelligent and hardworking partner. On the other, Nancy was a very kind and beautiful woman, and Frank had to remind himself on more than one occasion that they were just friends. No matter how hard he tried, Frank always knew that Nancy was different than most girls; she was special, and he considered himself very lucky for having her in his life. Their friendship always remained just that, as they had both been involved with other people for as long as he could remember. He figured his attraction towards Nancy was simply an admiration for how great of a detective she was. He had never met someone outside of his family that was so passionate for the job. It made him want to work with Nancy any chance he could get. However, due to time spent on various cases, he hadn't had a chance to work with Nancy in three years. Although they kept in touch as loyal phone pals, it would be great to finally spend some time together in person.

"I wonder if we'll be able to recognize her." Joe smiled at Frank, knowing perfectly well his brother would be able to draw a picture of Nancy from memory if he had to.

"Of course we will. It's been three years, not three centuries."

"Do you think she got married to that Ned guy?"

Frank's heart sunk to the floor as he pondered the thought. "Of course not. Nancy and I have kept in touch throughout the years. She obviously wouldn't get married without inviting us to the wedding. We are her closest friends. Stop asking such strange questions."

"I'm asking very reasonable ones. We both know how hot she is." Joe watched as his brother clenched his fist together. "It's perfectly plausible that Nancy went off and got married when we were on location for a case. She's not the type to bother us."

Frank was suddenly nauseous at the thought. _What if she was married? _There was no way it could be true. Nancy would have told him, right? He pushed the thought from his mind as he noticed a stewardess ushering towards a crowd of people.

"Welcome to Orlando, Florida! Please enjoy your stay and thank you for flying with American Airlines." A giant grin plastered her face as she curtsied to each leaving customer.

Frank watched the group intently, waiting to catch a glimpse of Nancy.

And then, there she was. Dressed in tight black leggings and a black t-shirt, Nancy walked off of the flight looking effortlessly beautiful. She looked even more amazing than he had remembered. Frank smiled wide as he waved towards her. Only when her green eyes matched his did he begin to hear his own heartbeat.

Nancy walked towards them, feeling happier than she had felt all day.

"Holy cow, Nan. You are such a babe." Joe grinned as he scooped Nancy into his arms.

"Glad to see you haven't changed, Joe." Nancy laughed as she squeezed him back. She was thrilled to be around someone as lighthearted as Joe, especially after the events that took place earlier with Ned.

"Frank! It is so good to see you. It's been too long." Nancy grabbed Frank, holding on tighter than she had for Joe. Frank was much taller than she remembered, as she balanced on her toes to keep her arms wrapped around his neck. It had been a long time since she had seen him, but Frank was still as incredibly handsome as always.

"I agree. I've missed you." Frank gently broke from Nancy, noticing the lack of a diamond ring on her finger. He was secretly relieved.

"Well, thanks for having me, boys. Now what exactly are we working on?"

"I don't know yet. My big brother here read the case and immediately wanted you down here. He wouldn't even let me see the file first!"

"Well I held off because I knew you would get way too excited if I told you where we were headed. And seeing how you were jumping around like a child for our case being in Florida, I wasn't too far off."

"And where exactly would we be headed, Frank?" Nancy looked at him inquisitively.

"West Palm Beach. Stellar Agency has informed me of a request made by Collins Berwyn. He owns a chain of five-star hotels and spas there. He has a reputation for owning some of the top hotels in the world. However, he has been receiving strange threats for the past few weeks. They are usually notes left in his bedroom, office, and car demanding money. Collins is fearful for not only his life, but his daughter's as well. He has recently announced that his daughter, Lucy, will be taking over one of his larger hotels, the Berwyn Estate. Someone doesn't seem to like this news, because right after the public announcement, she started receiving the threats as well."

"Well what about surveillance cameras? Are there any on the premises?" Joe wondered aloud.

"There are hundreds on sight, but there is no video footage showing anyone breaking into his office."

"It certainly has to be an inside job then. How else would they know how to get into his bedroom?" Nancy questioned.

"That's what I suggested, but Collins is sure it's one of his hotel competitors clamoring for a piece of his property. You see, Collins has acres of ocean-front property. He practically has a monopoly on the entire shoreline. He's certain someone is out to get him. We will definitely check out everyone Collins works with, but we can't just rule out any other possibilities either."

"So we get to stay in the Berwyn Estate to figure this out?" Joe's eyes filled with excitement.

"Yes, Joe. The famous five-star hotel is where we will reside until we find out who is sending threats."

"_The _Berwyn estate?!"

"Yes, Joe! You see, I knew you would think too much into this."

"Okay, okay. One more question, I promise."

"What is it?"

"Is his daughter, Lucy, single?"

"Joe!" Frank and Nancy shouted in unison.

"You two are no fun." Joe grinned. "Well if we are supposed to be in Palm Beach, why are we here in Orlando?"

"Agent Williams wants to meet with us here and give us our alibis. He's also providing a rental car for us to take to Palm Beach." Frank looked back at Nancy. "Oh, and I wanted to make sure you were here with us, Nan, because the hotel has a lot of land to survey, and I needed a great detective I could trust to work with us."

Nancy blushed slightly and smiled at Frank. "I'm glad you called me. I'm excited to work on the case with you two."

"Well the sooner we talk to Williams, the sooner we will be basking in the sun with beautiful girls in bikinis. Let's go!"

Joe trotted ahead as Nancy rolled her eyes and laughed with Frank. He quickly grabbed her bags and headed for the door.

* * *

"The Berwyn Estate is always brimming with important people, so you must be dressed well at all times. And I do mean well. If it's not a designer label you will not find many people interested in speaking with you." Agent Williams went through his checklist of all the things needed to be kept in mind before meeting with Collins. "His daughter will also be on sight; it is essential that you warm up to her. You must protect her without her even knowing it."

Joe piped in, "I don't think it will be a problem at all warming up to Lucy." Agent Williams continued without acknowledging the remark.

"The important thing is to remain in character at all times. Your research must be done privately. No one but Collins should know you are doing detective work. We do not want the hotel or any of its employees knowing there is a potential lunatic running around a world-class resort, let alone detectives after their trail."

"Who are we pretending to be?" Frank needed to get his cover story prepared before mingling through the hotel.

"You are writers for Hot Spots and Luxuries Magazine. Every hotel manager wants to be recommended by the magazine, since the writers have a great reputation in the industry. We have worked with the magazine company to provide employment history for the three of you. If anyone finds you suspicious, they will look you up and find your reputation as one of the magazine's top writers. Every worker will be clamoring for a chance to speak with you, in hopes of you reviewing the hotel highly. Workers get compensated by the hotel for providing positive feedback, so if anyone provides a poor review, you might want to be suspicious of them. They could be the one who's troubling Collins and his daughter."

Agent Williams spent the next hour briefing through other details about the case. As for their names, Frank and Joe would be David and Phillip Walters. Nancy would now be known as Lydia Peterson. Arrangements about the rooms and modes of transportation were then discussed in full. The trio would be able to stay in the hotel for as long as necessary, leaving plenty of time for sleuthing. With all of the details thoroughly discussed, Nancy looked forward to heading to the hotel. Collins would be waiting for them. He would be the only one to know of their real identities. Nancy only hoped that he would be able to keep the secret about being detectives from his daughter.

"If you need anything, please call on these phones only." Agent Williams handed each of them a cell phone. "You have a long drive ahead of you. Collins will be expecting you late this evening. Good luck."

* * *

"Woah, _that's_ our car?!" Joe's jaw dropped as a black Mercedes-Benz Cabriolet stood before them.

Frank took the wheel with Nancy on the passenger side. Joe was quickly passed out in the back as the luxury car quietly soared through traffic. They had a good three hours before they would be arriving to their destination.

"Do you mind if I make a phone call really quick?"

"Not at all." Frank turned off the radio and remained silent for Nancy.

She wanted to let Ned know she had made it to Florida. She also hoped he would be much more pleasant than he had been with her earlier that day.

"Hello?"

"Hi Ned. It's me. I made it here."

"Great." Ned's flat tone echoed back at Nancy.

"Yeah. Okay then. Just wanted to let you know."

"Thanks for considering me." Nancy winced at his tone. "Goodbye, Nancy."

"Goodbye."

Nancy kept the phone to her ear a second longer, hoping Ned would say something more. The response she got was simply the receiving line hanging up. She listened to the dial tone, attempting to remain her composure in front of Frank. As soon as she felt the tears weld into her eyes, she quickly turned towards the window.

Frank bit down on his lower lip. He wasn't a fool. Nancy was trying not to cry in front of him. Her conversation barely lasted 15 seconds, and he figured Ned was not happy about Nancy abruptly leaving him for a case. Frank wanted to remain a good friend, but he just wanted to get involved and know why Ned was being so rude. She was too great of a person to be treated so poorly.

"You okay?"

Nancy quickly wiped away her tears and looked back at Frank. "Yeah, sorry. Ned just hasn't been too fond of me leaving this time. He wasn't very kind to me before I left."

Frank tightly gripped the steering wheel. The thought of someone being rude to Nancy was making his blood boil. "What did he say to you?" Frank attempted to sound unattached, but he wanted nothing more than to beat the hell out of Ned.

"We've just been together so long. He wants marriage and a family; I want to throw myself into my work. I'm just not ready for what he wants. He's always been so understanding of that…until now. I never realized what an unfair girlfriend I've been to him. I'm depriving him of a family." Nancy covered her face in her hands as the tears began to stream.

Frank grabbed a hand away from her face. He held it tightly. "Nan, please don't cry. You are not an unfair girlfriend."

Nancy managed to curtail her crying. She realized she was still holding on to Frank's hand in her lap. She let go of it quickly. "Sorry about that," she mumbled.

Frank smiled warmly at her and brought his hand to her cheek, wiping it dry.

"Nan, I've known you since I was 17. I think I have a good understanding of who you are. I can say with great confidence that Ned is so incredibly lucky to have you. I honestly think your passion for the job is the most attractive thing about you."

Nancy blushed as she felt her insides do a somersault. Her heart began to pound at an irregular rhythm. Her emotions were suffering from bipolar disorder, seeing how one moment she was crying over Ned and the next she desperately wanted to kiss Frank. Nancy pushed the thought from her mind as she smiled back at him.

"Thank you, Frank." She paused before continuing. "I think the same of you too, you know. Callie is one lucky girl to call you her boyfriend."

Frank smiled at Nancy before turning his eyes back towards the road. He was simply too content to tell Nancy that Callie had a similar conversation with him before leaving for the case. The only difference was that Callie had decided that she no longer wanted to be a part of a detective's world and promptly broke up with him. He figured those details could wait. For now, Frank wanted to focus on the case ahead of them.

* * *

_I want to thank my reviewers for giving me instant feedback. Honestly, the more reviews, the faster I will update! It gives me the incentive to keep writing. I hope you like how this is going so far. Let me know! xx_


	3. The Berwyn Estate

Nancy had never seen a hotel so beautiful before. The entire building took up at least 10 football fields of land. As they drove through the massive pebble stone driveway, palm trees greeted their view.

"This is incredible!" Nancy awed, her eyes fixated on the neon blue lights illuminating the entire hotel.

As they approached the front of the hotel, a man proudly stood at the entrance, waiting for their arrival. He was dressed in a white suit with a mint green linen shirt.

"He looks like someone straight out of Miami Vice!" Joe quipped.

As Frank parked, four men in tuxedos came to their aid. Two of the men quickly grabbed their suitcases, while the others opened the car door for the newly arrived guests. In an instant, Frank's car had been valeted and the men swiftly moved their suitcases to an unknown destination.

"Welcome to Berwyn Estate." Collins greeted the trio warmly. "I'm Collins Berwyn, the owner of this hotel. I hope your drive was a pleasant one."

"It was, thank you. I'm David Walters. This is my brother Phillip and our good friend Lydia Peterson," Frank's eyes crinkled as he spoke. He was certain Collins had already been informed of their alibis.

"Pleased to meet you." Collins took his time greeting each of them one by one. "I would like to give you a brief tour of the estate. Please, follow me." Collins proudly walked them through the massive hotel.

They passed through a beautiful front room where guests relaxed and enjoyed complimentary wine and cheese. The concierge greeted each guest warmly, standing behind a massive marble desk with two white columns positioned on each side.

"Any messages left for your room can be found here at the front desk. Patty, my wonderful assistant, can be found here every afternoon and will accommodate you with dinner reservations, concert tickets, and whatever else you desire for entertainment."

They walked through the elevator lobby. It was adorned with a beautiful mosaic of colors, reminiscent of a church window pane. Walls that weren't covered in the design were covered with massive mirrors. The prism of colors illuminated their path.

"I have to say, Mr. Berwyn, this is the most beautiful thing I've ever seen." Nancy was overwhelmed at the vision of glamor before her.

"Why thank you, Lydia. And please, call me Collins."

"How many rooms does this hotel hold, Collins?" Joe looked around, imagining the manor could easily hold thousands of guests.

"We only have 600 rooms here. This is a place of quaint relaxation and open space to roam and explore; we prefer not to overcrowd our guests. I also wanted enough employees to cater to each individual, if need be. We have approximately 750 employees ranging from chefs, waiters, lifeguards, bellboys, and the like. Any help you could possibly need, we have an employee here for that particular need." Collins smiled at the trios' impressed gazes. He turned the corner and made his way towards the back of the hallway.

He approached a massive door, adorned with the same window pane colors scattered throughout the hotel, and quickly punched a numerical code into the knob. The door opened swiftly in front of them, and Collins raised a hand, inviting them into his office.

The office was much more minimal in design. There was a simple color pallet: black and white. Collins had book shelves and a desk in a midnight black color. The rest of his vast office was filled with white leather chairs and a long couch that could easily seat 8.

"You've got quite the swanky office, Collins." Joe nodded his head in approval of the office design.

Collins began to chuckle. "Why thank you, Phillip. I'm glad you enjoy. Please, take a seat." He quietly closed the door behind them and took a seat parallel to them.

"Now I don't want to keep you long because I'm sure you are quite exhausted. I appreciate you coming here on such short notice. I am aware that Agent Williams went through the basic details with you." They nodded their heads in agreement. "I know the notes seem rather trivial, but they are not simply threats for money. They are threats for my daughter's life." His expression turned grave as he left his couch and walked towards the desk. He grabbed a pile of papers and brought them over to the group.

"These are what this psychopath is leaving me. I must handle this situation quietly without alarming my daughter. She's the new face of this hotel and the last thing I want her thinking is that her safety is compromised here."

Frank, Joe, and Nancy looked over the notes. They were magazine clippings matched together to spell out different threats.

_PAY THE PRICE OR LOSE YOUR PRICELESS DAUGHTER_

Nancy shivered at the creepiness of the note. There was no way any father would like to read such a thing. The other two notes were very similar as well.

_GIVE ME $20 MILLION OR SAY GOODBYE TO YOUR REPUTATION_

_MILLIONS NOW OR LOSE MILLIONS OF MOMENTS WITH YOUR DAUGHTER_

"Exactly when did you start receiving these threats?" Frank pondered.

"Two weeks ago. I had just announced that I was passing ownership of this hotel to my daughter. We had done the press conference in the morning and then these notes started showing up. One was left here in my office, the other in my car. The guy who did this even had the nerve to put one of the notes under my pillow."

"Do you know why $20 million is the person's request? What would be the incentive now?" Nancy wondered.

"I have always been very proud of the Berwyn Estate's success. It is essential for this place to thrive, so I more than happily announce new land acquisitions or expansion plans with the public. I have only recently purchased new ocean-front property in the area and am planning on making it the next big hotel in all of Florida. However, there was a situation when acquiring that property. A few other people were interested in the land, but I quickly stepped in and made the sale final. Word got out that I had spent a pretty penny from my own pocket to get that land. I know that many of my competitors are jealous of my success and figure if I could buy that new piece of land, I would be able to pay up such an amount."

"Well where exactly do they want you to bring the money? These notes are rather vague." Joe couldn't imagine how Collins would even be able to negotiate with the person behind the notes.

"That's the strange part. I have no idea. These are the only 3 notes I have received. They are so vague at this point. But my daughter has been receiving strange notes as well. Hers just read "Hello Lucy" and nothing more. They are written the same way as mine, though. Even though they aren't threatening, I have yet to tell her that I've been receiving these notes. It's just way too much stress for my daughter right now. She might not think the notes are a big deal, but that's because she only thinks she has a secret admirer. I just want this crazed man to stay away! If you can figure this out without disrupting my daughter's work, I would be very grateful."

"With all due respect, Collins, don't you think you should be keeping a watchful eye on her if she is receiving these strange notes? I think she would take the matter more seriously if she knew what was going on with you."

"I see your point, Lydia. And I do keep a watchful eye on her. She is constantly running the show around here, so at any given moment you will find her somewhere in this hotel. There is no way I am leaving her unsupervised, seeing how she's always on the premises. The reason I haven't told her is because you don't know how she gets. She's only 25 and has been given the great responsibility of running this hotel. She's under enough stress as it is. I can't let her become overwhelmed and fearful of her every move. That is why I have brought you here, to figure this mess out with as little drama as possible."

"We understand, Collins. We shall do our best. Will we be meeting with your daughter tonight?"

"Unfortunately, no. Lucy has turned in for the night, as I am sure you are all hoping to do as well. It is quite late, but she has been informed that the three of you are interested in writing an article on this hotel." Collins winked. "And I fully intend on you all to follow through with that story when speaking to any of my employees. I can't have any detectives running around on my watch."

"We won't let you down," proclaimed Joe.

Collins then discussed which rooms they would be occupying for their stay. He managed to reserve two rooms adjoined to one another. They would be staying in a luxury suite, with all room service expenses paid. Collins wanted to make their stay as luxurious as possible because he knew they would in turn be protecting his daughter.

"Your bags have already made their way to your suite. I look forward to hearing from you." He handed them room keys and ushered them through the door. "If you need anything, please don't hesitate to ask. Good night."

Nancy, Frank, and Joe made their way towards their room. The hall leading up towards it was just as spectacular as the rest of the hotel. Dim blue lights adorned the hallway, providing a soothing entrance to their suite. Joe eagerly slipped the room key into the door and opened to a massive room.

"Unbelievable!" Joe ran into the room, jumping straight on to the California king bed.

The room was dimly lit, intricately exposing the suite and all of its luxuries. The bedroom was filled with vases of exotic flowers, along with the same mosaic tile found throughout the rest of the hotel. Nancy ran to the bathroom and gasped at the sight of a giant hot tub. It could easily hold 10 people, and here it was, in the middle of their room. Nancy walked to the adjoining door and opened it to be greeted by another bedroom in equal size. The only thing they would be sharing would be the bathroom, but Nancy did not have a problem with that. She looked around in awe.

"I can't believe this is all for us."

"I know. We are actually working right now!" Joe beamed with excitement as he jumped up and down on the bed.

"Don't get too excited, Joe. You can't forget that we are here for a serious issue. Collins and Lucy need us."

"You're absolutely right, Frank. Lucy needs us. Perhaps Lucy will also need to enjoy this luxurious suite with me as well."

"Joe! Stop being such a perv." Nancy threw a pillow at Joe. "Anyway, I'm exhausted. Would you two mind if I used the bathroom first? I want to shower before bed."

"Not at all, Nan. Take your time. We will just try to abide our time in this boring place." Frank grinned as Nancy caught on to his sarcasm.

* * *

Nancy stared up at the ceiling wall. After showering, she ordered some room service with the brothers. One filet mignon later, Nancy was perfectly stuffed. She shuffled to her room, fully prepared to get some shut eye. But now that she was in bed, she couldn't sleep. Her mind kept wandering to the conversation she had with Ned earlier in the day. Her disappointment had now turned into anger. Nancy had always managed to balance both her work and home life, but Ned was becoming way too critical with her. She didn't like how demanding he had been, and their phone conversation after she landed was anything but pleasant. Nancy jumped out of bed and scuffled to her cell phone. She searched in her contacts for "Ned Nickerson" and promptly called.

"Nancy? Is everything okay?"

"Yeah it's fine. Why?"

"It's just really late. Plus you're an hour ahead. Just making sure you're okay since you're calling at this hour."

"I'm surprised you're concerned considering our earlier conversations."

Ned let out a long sigh. "I'm sorry, Nancy. My temper got the best of me. But you know how much I care about you. Every time I feel like we're growing closer, some case pulls you away from me. It's very frustrating."

"I get it, Ned. But it's even more frustrating for me to leave home when you are mad at me. You have no idea how difficult that plane ride was for me."

"Well, you have no idea how devastating it is without you here. I miss you, babe." Ned's tone was much softer now. She was relieved that her boyfriend was slowly coming back to his old self.

"Well, I miss you too. I wish you were here to enjoy this massive suite I have to myself."

"I would love to be there too. Why don't you ditch that silly hobby of yours and I come down to join you? We could use a vacation."

"Ha ha. Very funny, mister."

"No…I'm serious. What if I came down there and we just enjoyed ourselves for a little while?"

Nancy's playfulness quickly turned foul. She couldn't help but frown at Ned's words. "This isn't a silly hobby, Ned. I happen to be working right now. This isn't a vacation. It's my career. For life." She made sure to stress her last words.

"Well, I'm your guy. For life." Ned mimicked the emphasis as Nancy had. "I think it's about time you start worrying about me rather than going on some scavenger hunt extravaganza. Isn't it about time you grew up?"

The conversation had suddenly taken a turn for the worst. "Excuse me, scavenger hunt? Are you equating being a private detective to a scavenger hunt?"

"Why yes, yes I am. It also doesn't help that you have an ample amount of time to make googly eyes at that Frank guy. I hate you being around that creep."

Nancy was now seething. "How dare you talk about Frank like that! Ned, you better watch your mouth before you say anything else you'll regret."

Ned's voice began to rise. "Why are you defending him? Are you intimate with him or something?"

Nancy felt like she was just kicked in the stomach. She had no idea how the conversation had escalated into something so hurtful. She fought back the tears as she spoke.

"I am done talking with you. I want nothing more to do with a poor excuse for a man. We are finished here, you jerk!"

Nancy hung up the phone before she could hear another word. She quickly powered off her phone to ensure he wouldn't call back. She looked at the clock. It was already 3:15 in the morning. Nancy's heart was racing. She wanted to scream out in pain. But her ever-logical mind reminded her that she had a big case to work on in the morning. Trying to remember there was a stalker abound, Nancy buried her head into the pillow and squinted her eyes shut. She knew she had a long day of working ahead of her. Rather than dwell on the reality of her phone conversation, Nancy tried her hardest to get a few decent hours of sleep.

* * *

"Hi, Miss Berwyn? I'm Phillip Walters from Hot Spots and Luxuries Magazine." Joe approached the woman at the front desk.

"Hello Mr. Walters! My father and I have been expecting you. How are you?" Lucy walked towards him, eagerly shaking his hand. She was even more stunning than he could imagine. Her long brown hair rested loosely at her shoulders. She was wearing a fitted suit dress, hugging her lean frame. Even with stilettos, Lucy was still much shorter than Joe.

"I am quite well, thank you. My team and I met with your father last night. It was quite late when got in though. I decided to come down and meet you myself first thing in the morning." Joe grinned at the beauty in front of him. Lucy was better looking than he could have imagined. If the job was to follow her around all day and ask questions, it was certainly fine by him.

"Well I'm very glad you did." Lucy flashed her pearly whites. "Have you dined with us for breakfast yet?"

"Not yet. I was planning on checking that out, but I'm not quite sure where to go."

"I'll be happy to escort you to our dining area."

"How about you join me? I'd love a chance to discuss this beautiful hotel you've got here."

"I'd love to." Joe was impressed with her kindness. Even as a young hotel manager, she didn't seem the type of girl to simply be living off of her father's wealth. She was a hard worker, and it was very evident as they passed through the main hall and guests greeted her warmly.

"I've never met a hotel manager that knows so many of their guests before."

"Well, I don't consider this place a hotel. It's more of a home away from home. I strive for escapism, and if people are stressed from their day to day troubles, they can run to this sanctuary and bask in all of its beauty. You won't find anything here but kind conversations and endless luxury."

_And beauty_, Joe thought to himself. As much as he would love to keep breakfast one-on-one, he knew it would be essential for Frank and Nancy to meet her as well.

"I can definitely see your vision. My friends and I have felt welcome ever since we got here. They look forward to getting everyone's perspective of the hotel as well. Since they are planning on writing articles for our magazine too, would you mind if they joined us for breakfast?"

"It would be my pleasure to meet them. Feel free to let them know we are here. I'll grab us a table."

By the time Nancy and Frank arrived, Joe was already on joking terms with Lucy. _That was fast, _Nancy thought.

"Lucy, this is my brother David and our good friend Lydia."

"Hello. Nice to meet you two. I've heard much about you."

"I see my brother here has already been quite the conversationalist today. Very nice to meet you too."

The conversation was kept light and informative. Lucy seemed to enjoy the attention and good humor from Joe, and it allowed her to open up to them in a friendly manner. Her passion for the Berwyn Estate was quite evident, as she described her father's work ethic and how he came to run the entire hotel. She also discussed her passion for people, and how communicating with her guests was the favorite part of her day. Even though she was now the new manager of the hotel, it didn't seem to curtail her love for being involved with the guests' daily activities.

"I am sure everyone is quite grateful for your hospitability, Lucy. Do you ever have troubles with any of your guests?" Nancy knew the question related to those strange notes Lucy had been receiving.

Lucy hesitated before answering. "There are always guests that may be a little….overzealous. But I strongly believe it's due to my friendly nature. Some people just expect more from me as a manager than others."

"How do they expect more from you?"

"Well, it could be anything. If they want dinner reservations, I happily give them recommendations and point them towards the concierge for assistance. But then they may want to see a play after dinner, and they expect me to get tickets two hours before a show. And even if I can finagle that, they are still interested in what I will be able to provide for future visits."

"I'm sure that can get frustrating at times." Joe looked at her intently, hoping to notice any reservations she would have about answering the question.

"It can. But I really do love my job. I know why people come to this hotel. If they have those expectations, no matter how difficult, I try to make them have as pleasant of a stay as possible. And there's nothing I love more than loyal customers. If guests have such a wonderful stay that they decide to visit again, I feel like my job is well done."

Frank eyed Nancy. Without words, they had come to a mutual understanding. After breakfast, they would explore the area and interview more employees. If anything, Joe would be best fit for attending to Lucy throughout the day. She seemed to enjoy his company the most. If she were to get any more strange notes, Joe would be there to protect her.

They continued to talk throughout the rest of the breakfast. Lucy was interested in what kind of articles they had written for the magazines. Joe was so passionate about their cover story that even Frank and Nancy started to believe he was a famous magazine writer. They talked for another hour until Lucy had to leave for a meeting.

"Would you mind if we just observe how you interact with guests when you are finished with your meeting?" Frank hoped she would be happy to oblige.

"Not at all. You'll be able to find me back at the front desk around 12:30 this afternoon. Feel free to come over and spend the day with me. Until later!" She shook all of their hands and left the table.

"So what's going on?" Joe looked at his brother pensively.

"Nancy and I want you to stay with Lucy for the day. She seems to open up the most to you."

"Oh, is that right?" Joe grinned.

"Behave yourself, Joe. Nancy and I will split up and see if we can get any information from other guests and employees. There's a lot to survey, but as long as someone keeps a watchful eye on Lucy we should be just fine."

Nancy lowered her voice. "We'll call your cell if we find anything."

"Sounds good to me. Good luck you two. I'm going back to the suite to shower up and get ready for my all-day date with Lucy." Joe snickered and quickly left the table before any further chastising could be given by Frank and Nancy.

The pair then agreed to split up and start seeing what people really thought of the hotel. They hoped something of importance would come of it.

* * *

It had been 8 hours since the last time she had seen Frank or Joe. The rest of her day was filled with interviewing employees and getting their opinions on the hotel. Of course, everyone she spoke to raved about the estate. How could she expect anything else? They all believed she was writing an article, and it would be good business to promote the hotel. This was going to be more difficult than she thought. Frustrated, Nancy headed towards their suite. The hallway leading towards the room was much dimmer than she remembered.

_I must be tired. _As Nancy reached for her room key, she heard a raspy voice whisper into her ear.

"You and your friends stay away from here. Understood?" Before Nancy could swing around, she felt enormous pressure at the back of her head. In an instant, Nancy's entire body was left numb as the room spun into darkness.

* * *

_Hoped you enjoyed the next chapter! I know I'm not the strongest writer, but I'm trying my best here. Reviews encourage me to update daily! Let me know what you think xx_


	4. Confessions

"Nancy! Open your eyes. Please!"

Nancy heard the frantic voice hovering above her. The voice wavered as it was in a distant tunnel, echoing through her mind.

Nancy flinched as she slowly opened her eyes. The sight of a Frank's handsome face stood before her. His hands were on either side of her face, tenderly stroking her cheeks.

Nancy propped herself up on her elbows, wincing in pain. Frank quickly came to her aid.

"Ouch." Nancy crinkled her face at the enormous headache she now had.

"I was walking back to the room when I saw you sprawled out on the floor. I was so worried! What happened?"

"I was coming back to the room when I suddenly heard someone warning me about getting involved in this case. Before I could turn around, he knocked me out. That's all I remember."

"Shoot. So our cover has been compromised?"

"Yes. Whoever this guy is, he definitely knows about the three of us and our reason for being here."

"So it was definitely a male suspect then?"

"I'm certain by the voice. But we need to hurry up and find Collins. He has to have surveillance of this hallway."

"Absolutely. Let's go."

Nancy struggled to stand up on her own, until Frank gently swooped down to bring her to her feet. He steadied her with his hands resting firmly on her waist. Being in pain certainly didn't stop her cheeks from beaming red. The proximity to Frank was suddenly making her nervous.

"Um, thanks for the help."

Frank answered her with a gentle sweep of her hair, moving it carefully behind her ear. He remained standing in front of her, making sure she was strong enough to balance on her own.

Nancy could no longer feel her intense headache. The pain converted itself into extreme adrenaline coursing through her body. She hoped her erratic breathing would go unnoticed by Frank. She stared up into his brown eyes, noticing an intensity there that she hadn't seen a moment ago.

"Are you sure you're okay to walk?" Frank's voice was much huskier now.

"Y-Yeah. I'm fine." Even though she had taken a hit to the head, her knees were feeling weak.

"Here, put your weight against me." Frank quickly joined her side and brought her arm around his neck. He then brought his hand down to her waist, bringing her closer towards him.

Even though Frank was merely being a gentleman, Nancy was unable to contain her nerves as they slowly walked through the hallway. Frank's hands were firmly wrapped around her waist. If he were to bring her any closer to his body, she would have little resistance to wrapping herself in his arms. _Stop it, Drew. _

As they continued walking, Joe and Lucy were spotted walking towards them.

"Woah, what happened? Are you alright?" Joe immediately ran to Nancy's other side, lending Frank a helping hand.

"Oh my god, Lydia! What happened? Did you faint, dear?"

"Yeah…I fainted. I've been a bit dehydrated all day and ended up passing out. I bumped my head on the way down." Nancy lied in order to keep her cover. She knew Collins did not want Lucy to find out.

"Here, I'll go grab you some water."

Nancy interrupted. "That won't be necessary. I already had some, thanks. I was just walking to regain my composure."

"Please, let me accommodate you. I'll be right back." Before Nancy could say another word, Lucy had run off to fetch a glass of water. Nancy quickly turned to Joe.

"We are being watched. A guy came behind me and warned us about being on this case. Before I could get a good look at him, he knocked me out. Luckily Frank found me lying there. We need to get to Collins and let him know the suspect has access to the hotel rooms."

"Shoot! How does he know? We've only talked about the case in the safety of Collins' office."

"We don't know, Joe. The important thing is that we hurry off and tell him before Lucy comes back. We can't let her know!"

Nancy was feeling strong enough to walk on her own. They made quick timing and breezed through the hallways, heading straight for his office. They knocked once before being greeted at the door.

"Well hello, again. Please, come in. Are you enjoying your stay?"

They quickly entered and closed the door behind them. "Collins, the suspect is somewhere in this hotel. I was off walking to my suite when someone warned us about the case and hit me across the head. I was passed out until David found me."

Collins' expression turned grave. "What?! That's impossible. Have you told anyone else about your covers?"

"Not at all. Even your daughter still thinks we are writers. She thinks that I've just fainted and is off to get me some water."

"Then someone must be watching us. This cannot be happening. Not at this hotel, not on my watch!"

Frank tried to calm Collins down. "Please, the more you panic, the harder it is for us to do our job. We need to see the surveillance cameras of the hallway of our suite."

"Right away." Collins hustled towards his desk, pulling up the security cameras on his computer. The trio watched as his face turned sour.

"What is it?" Joe looked over in frustration.

"Unbelievable. Someone switched off the cameras in that particular hallway."

"Who has access to the cameras?"

"My assistant, Patty. She monitors everything from the front desk."

"Well let's bring her in."

Collins promptly picked up the phone. He dialed the front desk and waited for a response.

"Hello, Charles? Can you please inform Patty that I need her in my office right away? Thank you." Before he could hang up, Charles began to mumble something on the other line. "Oh, is that correct? And how long? I see. That will be all, Charles." Collins stared up at the detectives with grave concern.

"Patty has not been at the front desk since this afternoon."

Nancy gasped. It had appeared that the phantom man had taken hold of Patty!

"Is that unlike her, Collins?" Frank assumed she was on a very long lunch break.

"Yes. Very. Patty is the eyes and ears of this building. I trust very few people, and Patty is one of those few. She knows more about this hotel than anyone."

"Okay. It's time we step this up. In order to figure this whole thing out, it is imperative that you tell your daughter the truth about us. Her safety is now in jeopardy."

Collins sighed. "I understand."

As if she could read their mind, Lucy walked into the office with a glass of water.

"Lydia! There you are. I have that glass of water for you." Nancy stared back at her, unsure of how to tell her.

"Lucy, sweetheart. Please sit down." Collins ushered his daughter to take a seat. "I need you to do whatever these fine detectives tell you to do."

Lucy looked up in confusion at the three of them. Nancy then went into explaining the entire situation, including her most recent incident with the suspect. She mentioned they were using cover names for safety, and quickly reintroduced herself and the Hardy boys.

Lucy stared wide-eyed at her father. "Why didn't you tell me? If I knew those notes I received were tied to you, I would have taken it much more seriously!" She began to cry.

"Lucy, dear. You have to be strong. I just didn't want you to worry. But now that this situation is escalating, you need to stay strong and keep the guests under control. We can't let anyone know."

"But what about Patty? She's now been kidnapped or something?" Lucy was now hysterical.

Joe brought his hand to her shoulder. "We don't know anything yet. The most important thing is that you now stay close to us. We will keep you safe. I promise."

Lucy mustered a question between sobs. "S-so…you guys aren't writers?"

Joe smiled back at her. "Not quite."

* * *

The rest of the evening was spent searching for Patty. The last time anyone had seen her, she was helping a family to their rooms. They were all certain she was kidnapped during that time. In order to keep things under control, Collins had amped up security. There were now hundreds of guards scattered throughout the hotel. They were all disguised as hotel guests, in order to keep the public concern low. Joe had escorted Lucy back to their suite. He figured it was essential that she stay with them until they figured the situation out.

Nancy was physically drained. It had only been two days at the estate, but so much had already happened. She made her way to the balcony of the suite, making sure to leave Lucy and Joe alone, who had quickly become flirtatious pals.

Nancy looked out at the ocean before her. It was simply beautiful. Under any other circumstance she would love nothing more than to enjoy the beautiful estate. But now, it was just too soon for her to be engulfed in such beauty. Someone was already missing, Lucy had learned of their real identity, and Nancy was attacked by some unknown villain. To top it off, she had just broken up with her boyfriend of seven years over the phone. Even though Ned royally deserved it, Nancy couldn't help but feel overwhelmed over the breakup. She had a headache from replaying their previous conversation back in her mind. If only she could get her mind off of things for a while…

"Nan? Do you mind if I join you?" Frank peered through the screen, looking clearly exhausted from the day.

"Please do." Nancy moved over, inviting Frank to sit next to her.

They both remained silent for a while, taking in the sight before them while listening to the cool breeze. Nancy shivered slightly.

"Are you cold?"

"No, I'm quite alright. Than-"

Before Nancy could even finish, Frank had handed her his green zip-up jacket. She smiled graciously before putting it on.

"Thanks."

"How's your head feeling?"

"From the hit, it feels fine. From the whirlwind of events the past two days, it is killing me."

"I know what you mean. I'm pretty stressed out myself. It also doesn't help that I left home on a bad note."

Nancy looked at him curiously. "How so?"

Frank let out a sigh. "I didn't mention it earlier in the car, but Callie left me after she found out about this case."

Nancy was in shock. "Frank! I'm so sorry. You two have been together forever."

"I know. It was her decision, and I understand why. Callie wants the same things out of me that Ned wants from you. But I just can't give this life up for her. I wish there were a way to have them both, but Callie was not interested in that option. So she dumped me."

Nancy rubbed Frank's arm. "I'm sorry to hear that. Callie was a sweet girl." She frowned as she stared off at the ocean. Now was a good time to share her story with Frank.

"I'm…I'm in the same boat as you too. I called Ned last night to talk and he basically told me off. He was completely disrespectful, which was shocking to me, and I knew I had to end it. Seven years down the drain." She looked up at him. "I'm sorry this case has mutually ended important relationships in our lives."

Frank stared back at her. "Me too, Nan. Me too." He took a long pause before speaking again. "I do have to say though, it is quite mind boggling how any guy could talk to you disrespectfully. You deserve nothing but the best."

"You're very sweet to say that. Thank you, Frank. So do you." Nancy reached over her chair and hugged Frank. Even though her gesture was meant to be friendly, there was a sudden spark to their touch. Being in his arms was simply electric. _You both have lost the love of your lives. Stop thinking like that, Drew. Frank is your good friend!_

Nancy quickly pulled away and stared back at the ocean. It was ridiculous to have any sort of feelings, especially with her closest friend who had just shared a breakup story with her! Nancy was sure it was her adrenaline causing her mind to think crazy things. It would be best to start talking about something else.

"So Lucy and Joe seem to be getting along nicely, yes?"

"My brother can get along well with any attractive young lady. It's in his DNA." They both let out a laugh.

"That's definitely true. I don't know how he fits work into his flirtatious schedule!"

"Well he certainly gets to kill two birds with one stone when working with you, Drew." Frank smirked at her.

Nancy blushed slightly. One little compliment and Nancy was already a pile of mush. "It seems like some of Joe's flirtatious ways are rubbing off on his older brother."

Frank chuckled. "I guess so. There's a difference between us though. Joe says it to practically any girl in his sight. I only say it to someone when I mean it."

Nancy thought she heard Frank's voice waver a bit at the end of his comment, but she couldn't be sure. The only thing she was certain about was at that exact moment a new set of chills crept up her spine. Nancy was finding it difficult to concentrate. Was Frank blatantly admitting he was flirting with her? Or was he simply being nice? Nancy beamed with excitement at the thought of the former.

Before she could say another word, an audible shriek could be heard from below the balcony. Nancy and Frank jolted up and ran inside to grab Joe.

* * *

The trio had made their way to the outdoor pool, straining to hear another sound.

"Maybe it was someone messing around?" Joe wondered.

"No, it certainly was not that. We heard someone screaming like they needed help."

"Well it's extremely quiet out here. There doesn't seem to be any-"

Another yelp could be heard. It sounded stifled, as if coming from a closed door.

"Quick! Let's check the janitor's closet!" Nancy picked the locked door at lightning speed. Swinging the door open, she stared wide-eyed at the sight before her.

A bound-and-gagged Patty knelt before them. She was tied to a shelving unit, the look of terror pouring from her eyes. "Mmmmmm! Hhhm me!" Nancy knew she was demanding help, and they quickly made ways with her ties. Frank pulled the rope out of her mouth. Patty began to cough abruptly.

"Patty! Are you alright?"

"I…I…trapped in there for hours! Some guy….then the ropes and I was screaming for help. Then he took me here and the ropes were tied and…"

"Come on, Patty. Take a deep breath. We're here for you. You're safe."

Patty could not stop shaking. "The man. The man took me here!"

"What man? Do you remember what he looked like?"

"N-No. He was wearing a black mask. All I saw were his eyes."

"Do you recall the color of them?"

"Brown. Definitely brown."

Frank and Joe carefully brought her to her feet. They needed to get to Collins right away. Frank was sure Patty would be able to open up to them after the initial shock wore down.

"I was leading a family towards their room. As I walked back to the elevator, this man just grabbed me and carried me through the stairwell." Patty stood before Collins and the detectives. Although visibly shaken up, she had been given food and water and was now telling her story. "His hand was around my nose and mouth. He told me if I screamed he'd put a bullet into my head."

"What did he want with you?" Collins looked at his most trusted assistant, horrified that someone could do that to her in the safety of his hotel.

"He demanded the password for the security cameras. I stayed silent for as long as I could, but he was starting to get physical. Once he slapped me hard across the face, I knew he meant business. I had to tell him the code. I am so very sorry, Collins."

"Patty, please. I'm just relieved you are okay. But we now have the answer as to why the security camera didn't show him in the hallway after attacking Nancy. This guy has certainly been watching us from the safety of this hotel. And he's still able to get away with his game, even with the amped up security."

"We are going to find this guy, Collins. He luckily didn't harm Patty severely and I assure you, he will not be harming anyone else, either." Joe wanted to assure the concerned man. He didn't want the situation getting out of hand.

"We're going to keep watch. There will be no other disturbances the rest of the night. We promise." With that, the three detectives split up, scouring the building for any sign of a psychopath.

* * *

It was 4 in the morning before Nancy made it back to the suite. She was so tired she could barely think. Throughout the night, no other disturbances had been made. It seemed like he waited to make his move when there were crowds of people present. As she walked towards her room, her cell phone began to ring. _At this hour? _Nancy was too lightheaded to comprehend much else. She picked up the phone and groggily answered.

"Hello?"

"It seems to me like my little friend Patty isn't where I left her."

Nancy's heart began to race. The phantom man was talking with her on the phone!

"What do you want?" Nancy's energy was now alert.

"Relax, honey. I'll make a deal with you. Come with me and I'll stop causing problems here. The longer you wait, the more people will go missing. And they won't be alive when you find them. Understood?"

"What do you want with me then?"

"That's for me to know, sweetheart."

"What about the $20 million?"

"That's just to scare old man Collins. I don't want his filthy money. Just his reputation."

"Well how do you intend on getting it?"

"Enough conversation. Meet me tomorrow evening at 6:30 by the front desk. And come alone. Don't think I won't know if your little partners are around either."

"There's no way you'll be able to snatch me away in a public place."

"I've done it before with Patty, haven't I, sweetheart? Come alone or your little pal Lucy won't live to see her hotel's reputation crumble." He clicked off the phone.

Nancy stood outside of her suite room, stunned. Any notion of getting a good night's rest had been thrown out the window. She had to tell Frank and Joe!

"And he said I have to come alone. If I don't, he's going to harm Lucy." Nancy stood in front of the Hardy boys, explaining her phone conversation. They were groggy-eyed and in their pajamas as she spoke. "I don't know how this guy expects to ruin a hotel's reputation by kidnapping me."

"This is really odd. But you know, there's been something strange about this entire case."

"What's strange?" Frank and Nancy looked up at Joe curiously.

"Well, for one thing, this guy started leaving threatening notes, but wasn't doing anything about it. There was no meeting time, no kidnapping, not anything at all. Then, he takes Patty only to gain access to the security cameras. He hides her in an easily found closet and doesn't even kill her, knowing perfectly well she would tell us everything after being found. Then, he goes from wanting $20 million to simply demanding Nancy. And he claims the reputation of this place will go downhill if she doesn't obey. This guy is all over the map."

"You make a good point, Joe. He doesn't seem to really have a solid plan." Frank looked at his brother, knowing perfectly well how disorganized the case had been.

"It most definitely has to be a guest here, though. There's no other way they'd have access to the entire grounds. We need to see the list of everyone currently staying here." Nancy knew this would be an arduous task.

"Well what are we going to do about tomorrow evening? This guy will know if we follow Nancy to the front desk."

"We need disguises then. There is absolutely no way we are letting Nancy out of our sights. This creep is not laying a finger on her," Frank protectively declared.

"Right. I'll also wear a wire. If I can get this guy alone, we can pounce on him there. Joe, you have got to keep an eye on Lucy. Her life is really on the line now, and we cannot let him get a hold of her."

"I promise, Nancy. If anything we will stay in my suite throughout the day. That way I can go through the list of guests here and also keep her in my presence."

"Good idea, Joe. I'll work on our disguises and getting Nancy wired."

"Okay. I think the most important thing now is getting at least a few hours of sleep. Especially you, Nancy. You're taking on a big risk with this case, so you need to make sure you're alert."

"Right. I'll do just that."

Although Nancy had crawled into bed, her eyes remained open. The reality of what would be happening in a few short hours worried her. How would they be able to pull this off in a public place? And worse, what if the mysterious suspect was armed? Nancy shivered as she drifted into a light sleep, leaving her worries to dwell a few hours longer.

* * *

_Hope you enjoyed this chapter! Please review! The more feedback, the more I strive for daily updates xx_


	5. Who's Luke?

_Hello everyone! Thank you for all of the kind reviews. I know I was trying to do daily updates, but I think it would be slightly more of a tease with sporadic updates! Let me know what you think. I still haven't decided how often I should post a chapter. This one is a bit shorter, but I assure you, the next few chapters are long and get a little crazy! I hope you enjoy. Please review and let me know what you think xx_

Nancy drifted in and out of sleep as she heard the sound of footsteps beside her. She groggily opened her eyes to the sight of Lucy creeping out of the bedroom.

"Hey." Nancy propped herself on the bed, looking curiously at Lucy.

Lucy spun around, flashing a shy smile at her. "Oh. Hey, Nancy. Sorry to wake you."

"Where are you going?"

"I just wanted to get some air. I feel like I've been trapped in this room for too long. I want to get back out and do my job."

Nancy sighed. "I know, Lucy. But I think that it's best you stay here. Your dad would not be happy if we didn't keep you safe. Especially after everything we know now."

Lucy hesitated and walked towards her bed. She sat on the edge, burying her head into her hands. "I know. It's just all happening so suddenly. A few days ago I was doing my job, and now everyone seems to be after Luke."

"Wait, Luke? Who is Luke?"

Lucy slowly removed her face from her hands, exposing a horrified look. "I…I mean…nevermind." Lucy quickly stood from the bed, hurrying to collect her things.

Nancy jumped up, grabbing Lucy's hands tightly. "You need to tell me who Luke is. I am putting my life on the line for you and you are failing to mention that you know who is causing all of the trouble!"

"I'm sorry! I had no idea that you were risking your life. I didn't know things would escalate so quickly." Lucy released her hands from Nancy's, pacing back and forth across the room. She reached for a cigarette and took a long puff before continuing. "Luke and I met in college. He was everything I could have asked for: sweet, charming, handsome—my knight in shining armor."

"What happened then?" Nancy questioned.

"After we graduated, our plan was to get married. When I brought the idea to my father, he wanted nothing of the sort. Luke's family didn't come from money, and that was important to my father. It would not look good for his franchises if he let his only daughter marry, in his own words, 'a pauper.'" Lucy looked down in shame. "Naturally, I was young and stupid at the time, so I wouldn't listen. I ran off with Luke instead."

"What did your father think?"

"He of course sent people out to look for me. He was so worried, as he should have been. I basically left without a warning, thinking it was for the best. All I wanted was a life of romance with the man I loved, and Luke had fit the bill."

"And when did he no longer fill that role?" Nancy wondered how Lucy could go from leaving her father for this man to worrying about her safety due to him terrorizing the hotel.

Lucy inhaled into her cigarette slowly. Tears began to fill her eyes. "It stopped when he wanted us to have a baby. I felt that we were too young, and there was obviously no money between the two of us. I had left everything behind and Luke had not even considered a job since we had skipped town. But he didn't care. He wanted to start a family right away, thinking it would solve all of our problems. He figured my father would accept him after a baby would be in the picture. He even thought my dad would then offer him a job. That's when I knew that we weren't on the same page. I felt so ashamed. I had left my family for a man- a man who only wanted to get me pregnant in hopes of my father giving him a job. It was awful. Here I was, hiding in some dingy motel with no money, fighting with some guy who I thought I was loved. I was such a fool."

Nancy took a seat, feeling sorry for Lucy.

"We were constantly fighting. And then I was homesick. Quite honestly, I missed my comfortable life. I wanted to get back to my father and then I could work hard at one of his hotels, making a name for myself. Once I had explained the situation to Luke, he flipped out. He began to beg and plead for me to stay, saying that we could figure out another way to make money. I didn't want to hear it anymore, but Luke was persistent. He threatened me that if I left him, he would kill himself. I was young and scared, so I stayed by his side. I didn't want him ending his life for me. It just wasn't worth it. So I got a job as a waitress and made enough money for us to keep staying in that motel. Luke was thrilled, and became a cook at the restaurant I was waitressing at. Even though his happiness made our relationship stronger, I knew in the back of my mind that he was smothering me. We worked together, we lived together…we did everything together. I had no other friends and had isolated my family, and Luke seemed to like it like that."

"How long did you go on living like that?"

"About four months. I finally had enough. I knew my father was looking for me, and I could no longer hide from him. During my work break, I snuck out of the restaurant and made a run for the nearest payphone. I called my father and he picked me up immediately. I left Luke and never looked back."

Nancy stared at Lucy. "You said Luke was persistent. Did he ever come looking for you?"

Lucy cringed. "Yes, he would try to call every day. Of course I would never speak to him directly, as my father would always interject, but Luke told him that he was suicidal, and my absence would make him kill himself. My father had been separated from me for months, and obviously did not care for Luke. So he brashly told him to just go through with it." Lucy pressed her cigarette into an ash tray. "And that's the last we ever heard from him."

"How long ago was this?"

"Four years ago." Lucy looked up at Nancy, revealing nothing but sadness in her eyes.

"So why do you think it's Luke causing all of this trouble four years later? How do you know he didn't kill himself?"

"I…I don't know for sure. But a year after everything happened, I went looking for him. Call me crazy, but I missed him. I could never forgive myself if I knew I was responsible for his suicide. I went to the motel we used to stay at and asked the manager for his whereabouts, but he did not remember seeing his face. I visited the restaurant we used to work at too, but one of the waitresses had mentioned his absence for years. But I just felt like he was still alive. None of the local newspapers mentioned a suicide, and I couldn't accept his death. I finally went to my father, voicing my concerns, but he wouldn't talk about it. He just wanted me in his sights, away from Luke. So I buried my thoughts and continued working. I worked harder than I ever had in my life, and I got where I am today. My father noticed my hard work and made me the new manager of this estate, and I am proud of my accomplishments. But as soon as these strange things started happening, my mind couldn't help but wonder if it was Luke coming back for me. He hasn't hurt anyone too severely, and I think it's because he means well. I just can't imagine Luke wanting to harm anyone else but himself."

Nancy couldn't help but think Lucy's confession was rather odd. She seemed to have still have feelings for Luke, even after his obsessive personality was made very clear.

As if she could read her mind, Lucy interjected, "Leaving him was the best thing I have ever done, you know. I now have a great career and I'm closer with my father. But that doesn't mean I still don't care about Luke. I just want him to be alive and well."

"If he is alive, he is obviously not well. He could be responsible for the threats and for harming Patty. He is certainly not stable."

"Yes…I know that. But please, if it is him, I want to see him. Maybe if I talk to him, things won't be so bad."

"Lucy, this guy is threatening to end your life! How can you honestly think he won't do it?"

"Because he loved me! I just know, Nancy. Please believe me!"

Nancy could feel the start of a massive headache. She pinched the tip of her nose, unable to comprehend the conversation she was having with Lucy. For someone who was responsible enough to run a hotel at 25, she certainly did not know how to handle herself in relationships. Lucy was certainly much more immature than Nancy had previously thought. She let out a sigh before speaking again.

"This is a lot to wrap my mind around right now. I just need to think this through. But in order to do that, I must know you are still safe and sound in this room. Please don't leave."

Lucy took a seat. "I won't, Nancy. I promise. If you are willing to give me the opportunity to speak to Luke, I will stay here as long as you need me to."

"Thank you. But for the record, we don't know for sure if this really is Luke. I don't want you getting your hopes up."

"I won't." Lucy grabbed a magazine and rested it on her lap. "I'll just relax here then until you need me."

"Sounds good. I'm going to go talk to Joe and Frank."

Nancy walked over to the adjoining door and gave it a quick knock. Frank greeted her at the door, holding a fork in his mouth.

"Hey, Nan. Come on in. We just ordered breakfast."

Nancy stepped inside, interrupting Frank's declaration of his love for bedside breakfast.

"Listen, guys. We need to talk."

"Well spill it then, Nan!" Joe glanced up from his breakfast, clearly irritated for the interruption.

"Tsk. Relax, Joe." Nancy explained her conversation with Lucy. She discussed Collins' disapproval for Luke, his obsessive personality, and Lucy's continued admiration for the man who could be responsible for the death threats.

"How could she still want that creep after everything he did to her?" Joe couldn't wrap his mind around Lucy's confession.

"Joe's right. The guy literally told you that he would kill Lucy. Could he make it any more obvious?" Frank crossed his arms, amazed at the conversation they were having.

"I know. This brings a whole new dimension to this case, however. If Luke really was responsible, it would explain the disorganization for the case. He doesn't have a clear motive and just wants to see Lucy. I mean, $20 million is a rather outrageous number. And with Patty, he didn't even kill her. He could just be a crazed man after Lucy's love."

"Well I don't see how Lucy could be interested in talking to that guy, especially since she claims she's over it. She even acts like she's over it. We flirt constantly!" Joe raised his voice during his confession.

"That is true. She seems to be very fond of you. But you have to keep in mind, you are quite the flirt and she's an attractive 25-year-old. She could be having some fun as well."

"Big brother, you unfortunately make a good point. Lucy may have had her priorities in order when it came to flirting with me, but she is crazy if she thinks talking with Luke is the right idea."

"So what do you think we should do about tonight? Am I still going to wait by the front desk? I don't even know what this Luke guy looks like!" Nancy quipped.

"Perhaps you should bring Lucy with you. I know it's a big risk, but Joe and I will be in disguises, so if anything gets out of hand, we can protect you."

"You're right, Frank. That is a great idea. Let's all tell Lucy the game plan and see what she thinks. Then we will let Collins know of our plans."

As the trio opened the door to Nancy's bedroom, Lucy was nowhere to be found. The chair where she previously sat now contained the magazine she had been reading.

"I left Lucy right here! She promised me she wouldn't run off."

"Alright, it's time to split up. We need to find Lucy right away. Let's go!"

The three detectives parted ways and began to scour the building for Lucy. With each passing moment, her safety was slowly slipping away, out of reach from their grasps.


	6. Forgotten Passion

"What do you mean you can't find her? She's been in your hands this entire time!" Collins slammed his fist to his desk, startling the detectives.

"I'm sorry, Collins. We literally left her alone for five minutes. She promised me she wouldn't leave." Nancy knew she was not saying anything that would make him feel better.

"Well how could she just disobey all of a sudden? That is outrageous and so unlike my daughter."

Nancy let out a sigh. She knew she had to tell Collins the truth. "Well…to be honest, Lucy told me how she had disobeyed your wishes in the past. She…she thinks that our suspect could be Luke."

Collins gasped. He stared at Nancy like a deer in the headlights, unable to form a complete thought. "That's…he's…no. No, no, no. It can't be."

"We don't think so either, but she had mentioned that the thought had crossed her mind…"

"That's preposterous. Luke killed himself." Collins voice had lowered considerably.

Nancy looked at the man in front of her, clearly concerned for his daughter. "Lucy had mentioned that as well, but how do you know for sure?"

"I…I just know. It was made absolutely certain to me that he died. Years ago." Collins' expression was very grave.

Frank cautiously stepped towards Collins. "Your daughter's life is in jeopardy. With all due respect, we don't have time to skip on the details. You need to tell us everything you know about Luke before we find out everything through our agency."

Collins slowly took a seat, running his hand through his disheveled hair. "Once Lucy came back to me, I knew I would have to keep Luke out of her life for good. He had brainwashed my daughter, and I wouldn't let it happen again. So I told my entourage to take a little visit to see Luke…"

"You had your cronies kill Luke?" Joe interjected, astounded.

"No! I am not a murderer. Nor did I have him killed by anyone. I…I just made sure they roughed him up a little bit—you know, physically and verbally, to remind him why he should never try to contact Lucy again. They didn't kill him, per say, but they made sure that when they were through with him, he would want to kill himself. You see, I am a very powerful man. When someone messes with my daughter, I will go out of my way to make their lives a living hell. So that's what I did to Luke. He was obviously still alive after my friends spoke with him."

"Then how do you know he killed himself?"

"Because he had to! I made his life impossible. He could no longer work at the restaurant as a cook, I made sure he could never get a room at any motel or hotel for as long he lived, and there was no way he could find another place to survive. I would make sure to cut off any source of life he had. After I had taken away his lifelines, I had practically taken away his life. Luke would have no choice but to disappear. And no one has ever heard from him again." Collins looked desperately at the detectives in front of him. "I am not a cruel man, but he ruined the one I loved! I just wanted Lucy to be safe. It happened so long ago though, and now that she's back in my life, I have never looked back. And I simply can't believe that Luke is the one terrorizing this hotel. Lucy is acting naive."

"I'm assuming Lucy doesn't know this part of the story." Frank looked perplexed, unable to comprehend the new information.

"No, and I don't plan on her finding out. I hired you to stop this man from terrorizing this hotel, not so you can judge how I protect my family! Now get out of here and find my daughter right now. That is an order." Collins quickly shooed the detectives out of his room. As his office door closed behind them, the trio stared at one another.

"So Collins is a bit of a mob boss. Interesting." Joe didn't have much to say after his revelation.

"That seems to be the case, but we can't dwell on it. We really need to find Lucy. It wouldn't be wise to get wrapped up in this Luke scenario. The guy hasn't been around for years; why would he show up all of a sudden?"

"You know, Frank, I almost think that Lucy _wants_ it to be Luke. When we spoke earlier, she seemed hopeful. Maybe she went to go look for him."

"Well regardless of it being him or not, Lucy is out of our sights, which could lead to a dangerous situation. We need to separate and find her now. Let's meet back at our room in an hour."

"Right, let's do it. See you two later." Nancy ran off from the pair, off to search the front desk and dining room for any signs of Lucy.

* * *

She just wanted to get some air. It wasn't meant to be anything more. Talking about him again caused a whirlwind of emotions inside her. It couldn't possibly be the case, but what was she feeling? Dread? Hope?

She pushed the thoughts from her mind. It was probably time to get back. They would be worrying about her. As she walked towards the suite, she felt a force pull herself into another room. She tried to scream, but before she could manage, her entire body was pinned up against the closed door. A mouth had now enclosed hers completely, frantically searching her tongue with his.

Lucy pushed back and stared into the icy blue eyes before her. She let out a gasp. "Luke!"

Before he could say a word, Lucy's lips had pressed urgently against his, fully engrossing herself in his presence.

* * *

"Any luck?" Joe walked towards Nancy, looking discouraged.

"No. I've looked everywhere. You?"

"Same here. I'm beginning to worry."

"Well we need to keep this situation under control. As far as I know, I'm still meeting the suspect this evening. We will try our best to get Lucy before then."

Frank walked towards Joe and Nancy. "I couldn't find her."

"Well, let's get back to our room. We should get ready for this evening. You two especially need to prepare your disguises. Our plan needs to be perfect."

Joe unlocked the door to their suite. The three detectives began to ready themselves for their busy evening.

* * *

Lucy buried her hands in Luke's sandy blonde hair. It had been so long since she had been this close. Each touch, each new kiss, every caress felt like the very first one. The feeling was invigorating, and she was more than willing to get wrapped up in it.

After what seemed like an eternity, Luke finally pulled away. He felt like he owed it to Lucy to say something. It was difficult, however, with his mind spinning and heart racing. He had not expected such a reaction from his ex-girlfriend, a girl who had abandoned him more than four years prior. He looked into her brown eyes, panting to catch his breath.

"Hi," Luke mustered between breaths. He managed to separate his lips from hers, but his hands remained occupied, busily brushing against her face, her hair, her hips…

Lucy was stunned. She couldn't believe Luke was standing right in front of her, touching her skin and causing the electric shocks coursing through her body.

"Is this a dream?" Lucy wrapped her arms around his lower waist, unable to recall the last time she placed her hands there.

Luke mustered a smile. "No. This is real."

"But how? What are you doing here? Why are you-"

Luke interrupted her with a bruising kiss. Lucy responded eagerly, slowly feeling her body move away from the door. Her eyes were closed tight, basking in the glory of their kiss, as she suddenly felt her body lower towards the bed. There were so many questions that needed to be answered. She knew it was wrong, that Luke was nothing but trouble. She tried to remember all of the reasons to run in the other direction from this crazed man. But her brain was only capable of alerting her hands to lift Luke's shirt from his body. Lucy gasped, taking in the sight before her. Luke knelt above her, bringing his face inches from her.

"What are we doing?" Lucy quickly kissed his lips, hoping it would answer her own question.

Luke looked into her eyes hungrily. "Lucy, please, let me ravish you."

Those simple words held a powerful meaning. Lucy buzzed with pleasure as she grabbed Luke's lips and crashed them down onto her own.

* * *

"So we're all set then? We all know our positions?" Nancy looked up at the Hardy's, triple-checking their plans for the evening.

"Yes. While you are waiting by the front desk, Joe will be in the hallway behind you and I'll be across the room. We will also have security surrounding the place, so we have this guy covered from every angle. It's practically guaranteed he won't get away with anything."

Nancy frowned. "I know, it does sound silly. I don't know how this suspect could pull this off. But what about Lucy? She's already missing, so how can we say with certainty that I'll be just fine?"

"Because you're not a hormone-crazed chick, Nan. Lucy seems to be under the impression that this obsessive, abusive guy is still worth thinking about. You know better. And you are doing your job. It's not like you came here for a guy." Joe stood up and stretched. "Now I'm off to take a shower. Then I think we should order in some food before tonight. We need to be prepared." Joe sauntered off to the bathroom, leaving Frank and Nancy alone.

Nancy stretched out on the bed before her, leaving the case files to slip to the floor.

"He's right, you know." Frank hunched over his chair, leaning closer to the bed.

Nancy sighed. "I know. This case is rather odd, though. I just want to figure it out and get Lucy back." She brought her hands up to her head, slowly massaging away her pounding headache. Her movement caused her blouse to slowly creep up, allowing an inch of midriff to be exposed.

Frank couldn't help but stare at the sight before him. Nancy was sprawled out, trying to relax. He wondered if it would be crossing a boundary if he reached over and caressed the small area of skin that was now tantalizing him. He blushed considerably as he tried to pull the image from his mind.

"I know. We will figure this out." He smirked. "We always do."

Nancy stopped rubbing her head and turned towards Frank. She couldn't get over how handsome he looked, grinning back at her. Nancy let out a laugh.

"What is it?" Frank looked back at her, curiously.

"It's just…the way you looked at me right now." Nancy paused as she sat up on the bed, directly facing Frank. "It reminded me of when we were kids. You always smiled like that when you knew everything would work out."

Frank was now beaming at her. "Well then, we have nothing to worry about. We'll find our way through this mess." He reached a hand to her hair, brushing it gently behind her ear. The way the light shined on her face left him breathless. She certainly left quite the effect on him, just like she had when they were young.

Nancy didn't mean for her face to lean against Frank's touch as he stroked her hair. It was a sweet gesture, but her reaction to it left her incredibly nervous. It was certainly not the way a friend would respond! _Keep it together, Drew! _

Nancy's affection did not go unnoticed by Frank. Unable to resist any longer, he leaned his face in closer, finding Nancy mimicking his movement.

Before her lips could brush against his, the sound of her cell phone abruptly halted the moment. Frank quickly backed away, unable to make eye contact with her. Nancy jumped up, hastily grabbing her cell phone. She sounded breathless as she spoke.

"H-hello?"

"Nancy! Thank God you picked up. I was so worried."

Nancy's heart sunk as she realized who she was talking to.

"Oh. Um…hi, Ned." Nancy darted her eyes at Frank, awkwardly feeling guilty as she walked towards her room and shut the door behind her. "What do you want?"

Ned answered her desperately. "I want you, Nancy. I've been a mess these past few days. I'm sorry for trying to act so macho. I just…I hate saying goodbye to you. It gets more difficult each time."

Nancy's emotions were spinning out of control. She was unsure if it was because of her moment with Frank or from Ned's confession. "I've never heard you talk to me so disrespectful before. You broke my heart!"

"Nancy, please! That is the last thing I would ever want to do. I just got wrapped up in being mad. I took it too far. I'm so sorry. I didn't mean anything I said."

Nancy sunk into a chair and let out a long sigh. "I'm not giving up my career, Ned. This isn't some sort of hobby I keep myself busy with."

"I know. Trust me, I know. I was such a fool to think otherwise. It's just that…we were having such a wonderful time before you had to go. And then I find out the Hardy boys were joining you, and it's been so long since you've worked with them…I guess I was _jealous. _It's silly, I know. There's really nothing to be worried about. I've never doubted your loyalty in the past."

Nancy felt incredibly guilty. She was grateful Ned was unable to see her face at the moment.

"Please, take me back. I will never do this to you again. You know I can be the supportive boyfriend. I've done it before, and I can do it again."

"Ned, this is a lot for me to take in right now. I appreciate the apology, but what about the future? You seemed pretty adamant about marriage and a family. What if I'm just not ready right now?"

"Well, I will wait until you are ready. I don't care, Nancy. I just want you, in whatever capacity I can. I just don't work without you."

"Look, this is really not a good time. You have to let me think about this when I have a moment."

"Of course. I understand. Just please know how much I love you. I'll give you all the time you need, just as long as you remember that."

Nancy sunk her head into her hands. "Okay, Ned. I know."

"Good. And I will wait for you to be ready to be my wife. I won't pressure you for a family until I know how-"

"Ned, please. I really have to go. We will talk later, okay?"

"Okay, Nancy. Take care." As he hung up the phone, Nancy felt a wave of nausea make itself home in her stomach. Ned had said everything she had ever wanted, didn't he? She couldn't think about it now. She had to walk back to the room and face Frank. It's not like they ever had to get over an awkward moment in the past. She hoped it would be the same now.

As she walked back into Frank's room, Joe was already out of the shower with a towel around his waist.

"Geez, Nan. Don't you knock?" Joe grinned as Nancy rolled her eyes at him.

"Is everything alright?" Frank quietly asked Nancy, unable to mask his awkward expression.

"Y-yeah. It's fine. Ned just wanted to apologize." Nancy winced as she said the words, knowing perfectly well it was bad timing.

"Oh. I see. Well, I'm glad. Hopefully you two can work things out," Frank strained as he finished his last statement. He hoped it sounded genuine.

Nancy was surprised that Frank wanted her to be with Ned. Maybe she was the only one feeling the attraction between them? Considering he just broke up with his girlfriend, Nancy suddenly felt foolish for thinking he would get over it so fast. She quickly responded, masking her disappointment in her tone. "Thanks. I think we will be able to."

"Good." Frank's tone was flat. "That gives me hope for my relationship with Callie. Maybe we'll be able to work it out too."

Nancy was irritated at his response. Her voice was much louder than she expected it to be as she retorted, "Great. Sounds like a happy ending for both of us." She gritted her teeth as she stared into Frank's eyes.

Joe looked from left to watch, observing the interaction between the pair. He was confused, but it certainly seemed like they were having an argument rather than a friendly conversation.

Before anyone else could say another word, the door to their suite suddenly opened.

"Hello, everyone! I'm back!" She gallantly skipped towards the bed, leaping on to the mattress and landing gracefully, smiling at everyone in the room.

"Lucy! Where have you been? We were so worried about you!"

Lucy rolled around on the bed, resting her head on her elbows. "I know, I'm sorry. I just wanted to get some air and ended up moseying around this place. I almost forgot how beautiful it was. This is quite a romantic place, don't you think?" Lucy flashed her wide smile at the trio, hoping her thoughts would be contagious.

"Well while you were _moseying around, _Frank, Joe, and I looked everywhere for you! We even had to tell your father! He thinks you were kidnapped!"

"Oh, don't be silly. I certainly was not kidnapped. I only went where I wanted to go. It was a wonderful stroll! Just absolutely lovely."

Nancy looked in confusion at the Hardy's. Frank simply shrugged and looked back at Lucy, unable to comprehend her sudden change of attitude.

"What's with you? We need you to have your head cleared for this evening."

"What's going on this evening?" Lucy looked up at Nancy, acting coy.

"Tonight I am meeting with the suspect! We talked about this already! And we have all thought it's a good idea if you stay with me when I go to the front desk. There's no way he will be able to cause any more troubles."

Lucy's eyes widened in shock. "No! Absolutely not! This cannot happen. Nothing is going on this evening, do you understand me?

Nancy realized in that very moment exactly who was terrorizing the hotel. It had to be Luke, and Lucy most certainly had seen him and had a change of heart. Nancy knew she had to keep her calm so she wouldn't run off with Luke again. She tried to sound as convincing as possible. "Okay, you're right. How about you just take a nice shower and relax? We'll figure out a game plan and we'll let you know as soon as you're done." While Lucy glanced away, Nancy quickly winked at Frank and Joe.

"Yeah Lucy, get some rest. You know we won't do anything you don't want us to do." Frank looked sincerely at Lucy, hoping she would give them time alone.

"You guys are right. That sounds like a good idea. Thanks for listening to me though, I really appreciate it. My father was right about all of you. You have the best judgment!" As Lucy walked towards the bathroom, she eyed Joe from head to toe, as he was still in his towel. As she closed the door behind her, the three looked at one another.

"Geez, she still has the nerve to undress me with her eyes," Joe sarcastically hissed as he grinned at the pair.

Nancy immediately rushed to the bed, noting Lucy's cell phone resting on the pillow. "There has to be something in here. Lucy is obviously acting very strange. It practically guarantees that Luke is the one behind all of this!"

"You're right, Nan. Otherwise, she wouldn't have been acting so strange. Anything important left on her phone?"

Nancy scrolled through Lucy's cell phone, quickly checking her recent text messages. The most current one was from an unknown number, reading "missing u already." Nancy rolled her eyes. "Looks like this case is more in need of a psychiatrist than a couple of detectives."

"What do you mean?" Frank looked up at Nancy curiously, unsure of her comment. Nancy showed the message to both Frank and Joe, who both concurred it had been from Luke.

"Young love- I could just hurl."

"Hey now, you only got a year on her, little brother. And last time I checked, you were quite fond of her."

"That was before I knew she was certifiably nuts. We better let Collins know that the suspect is this Luke guy, who's apparently already had an effect on Lucy."

"Only one of us should leave. I don't want Lucy knowing what we are up to."

"You're right, Frank. Let me do the honors after I get changed. Besides, if I stay here any longer, Lucy might get handsy with me." He grinned at the pair before shooing them out of the bedroom so he could change.

Nancy and Frank now stood in Nancy's room, waiting for Joe to get dressed. Frank sheepishly looked in Nancy's direction.

"I'm sorry about this case. It's turning out to be more of a babysitting job rather than actual detective work."

Nancy sighed. "It's alright, Frank. I'm still glad I'm here. We don't know for sure what's going to happen once Collins finds out Luke is back in his daughter's life. Besides, Luke had knocked me out! I'm pressing charges." She smirked at Frank.

"This is true. If I have anything to do with it, Luke is not getting away with it. When should we tell Lucy that we know of her little secret?"

"Once she's out of the shower. Joe will already be on his way to Collins, so Lucy has no way out. She will have to accept the truth and start talking."

"Right. To be honest, I'm quite relieved that you don't have to meet anyone at the front desk tonight. I was pretty worried about something going wrong."

Nancy shrugged. "Me too. But that's what the job calls for, yes? I would have done it, no questions asked."

"I know, but I'm at least grateful to be by your side. You know I would always protect you," Frank said with a defensive tone.

Nancy blushed considerably. Her irritation with Frank moments earlier had faded entirely. "I know you would, and I thank you for that." Nancy brought Frank in for a hug. "You know, despite your dorky appearances, you've always been such a great guy." She grinned as Frank pulled away to look into her eyes.

"Excuse me, Drew. Dorky appearances? I think not." Frank playfully crossed his arms, trying his best to look mad.

Nancy brought a finger to his lips. "Shhh….it's alright, Frank. Your secret's safe with me."

Despite Nancy's attempts to keep his mouth shut, he spoke brashly against her hand. "You better move that finger, or you won't like this dork when he gets angry."

Nancy's eyebrow rose as she challenged Frank. "Oh really, and what are you going to do about it?"

Frank stared down at Nancy, watching the mischievous sleuth standing before him. _God, she looks beautiful._ He grabbed her hand and brought it to his side, never releasing his firm grip. Nancy quickly brought her other hand towards his lips, attempting once again to shush him.

"That's it, Drew!" Frank quickly used his other hand to grab hers, and hung on to her tightly. Nancy giggled as she tried to escape from Frank's firm grip, hoping to reach for his sides to tickle him.

"Don't even think about tickling me. I will take cover!" Frank beamed with delight at Nancy's laugh, and continued to hold on to her tightly.

Breathless, Nancy finally caved in. "Okay, okay. Truce?" She batted her eyelashes, in attempt to appear demure.

Frank couldn't resist the look in her eyes. He slowly loosened his grip on her arms and agreed. As soon as he relinquished his hold, Nancy grinned widely as she quickly grabbed for Frank's waist in a second attempt at tickling him. This time, she succeeded.

"H-hey, so much for a truce! You can't be trusted, Drew!" Frank quickly leaned into Nancy against the door frame, grabbing her hands and holding them on either side of her head. His waist now pinned Nancy's against the hard frame. Nancy burst into laughter, panting to catch her breath.

Nancy's laughter tapered off, as she took note of the proximity of Frank's face to hers. She found herself staring at his lips, and quickly resumed her gaze to his eyes, which were now staring intensely into hers. Nancy's hands weakened into Frank's, allowing her fingers to slowly curl against his hand. Her adrenaline was now pumping through her veins, and she couldn't find the strength to look away.

"Looks like you got me, Hardy." Nancy could barely recognize her own voice. Since when did she have such a seductive tone?

"I guess so." Frank's voice was much huskier now.

Nancy's cell phone began to ring from her pocket. _Not again!_

Frank released his grip and stepped away from the door. As Nancy fumbled to answer the phone, she was failed to notice the unknown number flashing on the screen.

"Hello?" Yet again, Nancy found herself breathless when responding to a phone call.

"Hello, sweetheart."

Nancy felt a sick feeling creep though her stomach.

"I notice you have failed to meet me by the front desk. You'll be sorry." The cryptic voice ended and Nancy listened to the sound of the dial tone before her.

"Nancy, what's wrong? You look like you just saw a ghost!"

"It was…it was Luke! Since I didn't meet him at the front desk, he said I'll be sorry."

Frank looked wide-eyed with concern. "Luke is still up to no good! We have to tell Lucy!"

The pair ran into the next room to warn Lucy of her rediscovered love interest in the criminal.

* * *

_I hope you enjoyed this chapter! I know I don't have many consistent reviewers, but honestly, the feedback I have received from some of you keeps me motivated. Please review! I get so excited when someone lets me know what they think. :-D And I will most certainly update ASAP if you would like! xx_


	7. The Discovery

Lucy stood before them, wrapped in a large fuzzy robe and hair wrapped loosely in a towel. Her chipper attitude quickly turned fearful when Nancy and Frank barged in, demanding the truth about Luke's whereabouts. Her mouth gaped open as she was stunned by their discovery. _How did they already know?_

"I…I…how do you know about Luke anyhow?" Lucy didn't know how to answer them, and she wasn't just about to tell them about their little rendezvous either.

"Luke called my phone, Lucy. He said I'd be sorry for not meeting up with him. This guy has obviously not changed!"

"N-no! It c-can't be Luke. I swear! He wouldn't do that! He promised me!" Lucy panicked as Nancy approached her very slowly. She reached her hands to her towel and ripped it off, causing Lucy to shriek.

"So you mean to tell me, you have known_ this whole time_ that Luke has been back?" Nancy seethed as she spoke, making sure to emphasize each word.

Lucy backed against the wall behind her. "No! No I swear! I only knew he was back today! I just went outside for some air and on my way back here he dragged me into his room. Honestly I did not know he was back."

"Which room?" Nancy's voice had escalated now.

"Um…I uh…he's in uh…."

Nancy now grabbed her shoulders and squeezed them tighter. "Which room?"

"I…I can't remember the room number. Let go of me and I'll bring you there!"

Nancy quickly released her hold. "Alright, show us now."

"You aren't gonna hurt him, are you? Please, Nancy. He really means we-"

"Lucy, stop. We need to find this guy right now. Enough conversation and let's go!"

Lucy nervously walked through the halls, still wearing her robe. Her quiet pleas for mercy on Luke went unnoticed. She hated the thought of ratting out the only man she truly loved. Sure, he had been a lunatic at the time, smothering her personal and professional life, but that was in the past. Her feelings were still there, and maybe with all the time that had passed he had truly changed for the better. She just hoped they wouldn't hurt him.

As they approached his room, Nancy and Frank stood back. Lucy hesitated before knocking, knowing perfectly well his happy demeanor would soon change.

The door creaked open as a whispering voice spoke. "Back for more already? I'd be happy to oblige."

Nancy and Frank made their move and jumped in front of the door, pushing him inside the room. Frank grabbed Luke by the collar, slamming him up against the wall. Nancy locked the door behind them, making sure to keep the matter private.

Lucy was now crying. "L-Luke I'm so sorry! I didn't mean for this to happen!"

"What is all this about? Let go of me!" Luke struggled against Frank's grip, but it was no use.

"You better start talking right now," Frank growled.

"Who are you? Lucy, how could you do this to me?" Luke panicked, unable to fully comprehend everything going on around him.

"Luke, please! I told them you were innocent! You know I had nothing to do with this. It was my father!"

"Your father? Why am I not surprised? He has never understood our love. That man is no good, I've always said that!"

Frank slammed Luke's head against the wall. "Enough! Why are you causing all this trouble?"

"I didn't know seeing Lucy was causing trouble!"

Frank tightened his grip against Luke. "Oh really? And I suppose knocking Nancy unconscious wasn't causing any trouble either?"

Luke stared wide-eyed at the strange man before him, practically strangling him. "W-who's Nancy?"

Luke didn't realize Frank could possibly have any more of a stronger hold on him. He proved him wrong. Luke struggled against him, blurting out, "H-Honest! I swear! If you're referring to that girl over there, I've never seen her before in my life!"

"Put him down!" Lucy screamed. "I told you he had nothing to do with this!"

Frank reluctantly pulled away, still holding Luke against the wall. "I am not to be lied to. Do you understand? You mean to tell me that it's simply a coincidence that you are back here after four years and we are supposed to believe you have nothing to do with all of the threats?"

Luke looked back at him, confused. "I-I….yes! I know I've been gone long, but that's only because of Collins. It took me this long to get back on my feet. And y-yeah I snuck in here to see Lucy, but I don't know anything about a couple of threats! I may hate the guy, but I wouldn't threaten Collins. It would bring me even further away from Lucy!"

"I don't believe you," Frank snarled.

"Well, I don't know what else to tell you. Now get away from me!" Luke pushed against Frank's grip, causing him to stumble. The two men began wrestling one another, slamming against the closet door. Lucy shrieked and pleaded with them to stop.

Nancy jumped on top of Frank's back, dragging him away from Luke. "Stop it! He's not going to talk if you knock the living daylights out of him!"

"Yeah, you heard the broad! Get off me!" Luke's comment did not sit well with Nancy, as she quickly jumped off of Frank and slapped her hand hard across Luke's face. "I am not some broad! I can have you put away for a long time for all you've done!"

"Well good luck with that, sweetheart. Because I didn't do anything!"

Nancy snapped at the words. _Sweetheart. _That was what the mystery man on the phone had called her! Luke was the one responsible for the phone calls! At this revelation, Nancy quickly threw herself against Luke, pushing him towards the floor.

"Uumph! H-hey! Let go of me!" Nancy had Luke's face shoved into the ground as she sat on his back. Frank quickly stepped in and pinned Luke to the floor.

"Stop it! You're going to hurt him!" Lucy cried at the sight before her.

Nancy stood up from the ground and patted herself down. "I'm calling Agent Williams. We found our guy."

"W-what? No! Nancy it can't be him! I swear!"

Just as Nancy grabbed her phone to make the call, it can began to ring. _Perfect timing, _Nancy thought.

"Hello?"

A cryptic voice spoke back at her. "Hello, sweetheart. I said you'd be sorry. Now your little friend Joe has to suffer the consequences."

Nancy gasped. "What do you want?" Nancy asked frantically.

"Heh heh…I want the $20 million. We'll be in touch about it, yes? Until then, I'll take good care of your friend Joe here." Nancy heard the sound a giant cracking noise against the phone and the sudden screams of Joe. Nancy's stomach dropped at the sound.

Nancy's voice was barely more than a whisper. "When do you need it?"

"Tomorrow at 5 p.m. sharp. Leave it in a suitcase outside of the front entrance. If you are even a minute late with the delivery, I will do the honors of removing Joe's limbs one by one. I'll even leave them scattered throughout your room as a souvenir." The man manically laughed into the phone.

Nancy winced. "How do I know you really have him?"

"Check your phone messages, sweetheart. I think you'll enjoy the precious little Kodak moment I sent you. See you tomorrow." As he clicked off the phone, Nancy fumbled to find her text messages. She found the picture of Joe, bound and gagged, with a black eye already forming. Nancy shrieked and dropped the phone.

"What is it, Nan?" Frank looked up at her in concern.

"It was…it was the phantom man." She swallowed hard. "And he's got Joe."

* * *

_Dun dun dun dun! I know this was a short chapter, but I hope you all enjoyed it. I have decided to start posting a chapter every Wednesday. Unless, however, demand is particularly high for the next chapter, I'll be happy to oblige and upload it ASAP! :-D Thank you all so much for reading and please review xx_


	8. Meet Rucker

Luke wriggled out of Frank's grip, panting heavily as he rose to his feet. "Told you it wasn't me," Luke declared defiantly.

Frank remained on the ground, unable to tame his spinning mind.

"F-Frank, come on, you have to get up. Joe needs us." Nancy shuffled towards him, resting her hands on his shoulders. Frank rested his hand against one of Nancy's.

"You're right. We need to tell Collins immediately." Frank turned towards Luke, snarling in his direction. "And you're coming with me. Don't think I believe your appearance is nothing but a coincidence."

"Are you out of your mind? I loathe that man, and there's nothing you can do that will make me come with you. Do you understa-"

Luke's confession was interrupted by the sound of Frank's fist meeting Luke's jaw. Luke groaned as he fell to the ground, his own blood beginning to drool down his face.

Lucy shrieked as she hovered over Luke, who was now yelling in pain. "Are you out of your mind? He obviously has nothing to do with this! You didn't have to hurt him!" Lucy frantically grabbed a towel and started blotting his face.

Nancy finally found the strength to close her mouth, which had been agape since the moment Frank punched Luke in the face. Her throat felt dry as she spoke. "Lucy, grab Luke. We're all going downstairs now."

The four of them made an odd pair as they walked down the hallway. Lucy had Luke wrapped around her shoulders, with one hand holding a towel to his face. Frank stood on the other side of Luke, keeping an eye out in case he tried to escape, while ignoring the painful groans coming from him. Nancy walked ahead of them all, swiftly leading the way to Collins' office.

As they stood in front of the office, Frank began to pound incessantly at the frame. With no answer, he quickly turned towards Lucy and demanded she opened the door. Shaking and stuttering, Lucy punched in the code and watched the door swing open, exposing the bare office.

They entered the room, Nancy and Frank quickly scouring the office for any clues as to where Collins could be. Nancy walked towards his desk, noticing the clutter of papers scattered on it. She picked up the top sheet, a list of all of the guests currently occupied at the hotel. It was slightly crumpled, with a brown smudge located in the middle of the names, perhaps left from a piece of food. Nancy looked at the sheet curiously, and then at the other items on the desk. There was a cup of coffee, still warm, as steam slowly rose from the mug. As she walked over to touch the cup, she stopped abruptly when her foot kicked something on the ground. One of the wheels attached to the chair had come off and rolled towards the middle of the room. Nancy found this unusual, and it implied that Collins had been struggling in his seat somehow. She quickly glanced at Frank, who had noticed the missing wheel. The look in his eye confirmed her suspicions: something was definitely not right.

"Any idea where your father could be at this time, Lucy?"

Lucy stared at her, finally breaking her gaze on Luke's bleeding face. "He probably just stepped out for a moment. He tends to visit with Patty at the front desk. We could always check there."

Frank stepped forward, ignoring Luke's presence. "Alright then. After you."

Lucy stepped towards the door, inputting the code to allow them through. An alarming buzzing sound arose from the door. A patient robotic voice serenely whisked through the room. "Access denied," it replied smoothly. Confused, Lucy entered the code again. Receiving the same reply as before, she looked back at the detectives in alarm. "It's…not opening."

Frank, clearly not in the mood to remain patient, hovered over Lucy. "Give me the code. I'll do it." Frank received the same rejection as the robotic voice again called out, "Access denied."

Lucy stared wide-eyed at everyone. "We've been locked in!"

Frank swung his arm towards the wall. "Damn it!" His adrenaline was now soaring. First Joe had been missing and now they were all locked in Collins' office with no sign of escape. He could only imagine what the kidnapper would do to Joe…

"Frank?" Nancy snapped him out of his reverie. She brought a hand to his shoulder. "Come on. Something is not quite right here. We need to figure out a way to get out of here. She turned towards Lucy.

"Is there another way to exit here? The window, perhaps?"

Lucy shook her head." It's all guarded off. Even the window is unable to be opened. It's bulletproof too. My dad has always been paranoid that someone would attack him while he was in his office. He has a lot of security in this room, making sure no one but he and I are allowed in."

"Sounds just like your father. Making sure no one comes between the two of you," Luke mumbled bitterly. His face was now stained with dried blood from Frank's earlier strike.

Ignoring Luke, Nancy began to look around. Perhaps there would be some clues that she had missed. Since they were now locked in, her fears were confirmed: Collins was most certainly kidnapped, and he had now joined the company of Joe. Whoever was behind this was certainly unabashed when it came to violence. It was difficult to find anything out of order in Collins' sleek office. Other than the papers and coffee on his desk, nothing seemed to be out of order. Frank had been searching as well, and there was nothing he could find either. As the two detectives worked in silence, Lucy struggled with the door, hoping the robotic voice would grant her access simply out of pity, considering she had now tried the code at least a hundred times.

Frank, irritated at the consistent ringing of "access denied" in his ear, grabbed the missing wheel off the floor and gripped it tightly. If there was no way out, he would throw anything at the wall to make his own path out. As he was about to throw it, he noticed there was a strange ink rubbed into the wheel. It had now transferred to his palm, reading the word "TV." He looked at his hand curiously, and then glanced at Lucy.

"Lucy, does your dad have a television in here?"

Lucy stopped punching in the code and looked over at Frank curiously. "Yes, he does. It comes down from the ceiling. Why?"

Ignoring her question, Frank continued on. "Please turn it on for me. I need to check something."

An enormous flat screen lowered from the ceiling, taking up half of the entire office. The group hovered around it as Lucy turned it on. Lucy shrieked at the images before them.

A man in a black mask was waving back at them in a dimly lit room. Joe and Collins seemed to be knocked out and unconscious in the background, both barely recognizable due to bruises. His voice was low and distorted. "Glad you knew where to found me. Quite an entertaining show, don't you think? Heh heh…"

Nancy felt the sick feeling regurgitate through her body as she recognized his revolting laugh. Frank clenched his fist together as he tried to remain calm of the sight of his helpless and unconscious brother.

"By the time you watch this, your little friends will have already experienced my care. I figure the best way to care for them is to wake them up from their little slumber by torturing them a bit. Perhaps my little friend can do the job." The man pulled out a small filet knife, slowly running it along his thumb. He drew a small bit of blood, bringing the hand to his mouth and cleaning his self-inflicted wound. "I have decided to let you have an easy decision. I know I said I wanted the money, but now that I know your little friends are involved, I believe my request is too easy. I'll exchange life for life. All I ask for is Lucy. I think I am being more than accommodating."

"No!" Luke screamed at the television, even though it would do no good. They were merely watching a recording. Lucy looked like she just had the wind knocked out of her, and a greenish tint now flooded her face.

The menacing man continued. "To ensure that I get my request, I will have all of you locked in this room until my accomplice takes care of retrieving her. If you try to save Lucy, you will die. That is all for now. Enjoy the rest of your evening." The video ended, and they all stared blankly at the black screen.

Nancy was panting, and she eyed Lucy, whose eyes were now filled with tears. Luke was consoling her, wrapping an arm around her and holding her closely.

"It's okay, Lucy. I'm here for you. No one is going to hurt you, I promise." Luke and Lucy swayed together, unable to acknowledge the other two.

Nancy looked towards Frank, incapable of finding the words to describe the situation. How would they be able to get out, let alone save Joe and Collins? Rather than dwell on the situation, Nancy began pacing the room, knocking on every bit of wall space. She was looking for a hollow spot, hoping to knock through the wall. Frank immediately followed suit, wasting no time in shouting for Nancy after he found the perfect spot. It was located right underneath the window, meaning they would have to crawl out and face the extreme heights. They were at least 60 feet from the ground, but as long as there was a possibility of an escape, it didn't matter how high up they were. They began punching through the wall, attempting to break through. It was no use. Nancy fell to the floor and used her legs to kick against the wall, hoping she could create an opening. The wall remained strong. Frank aggressively grabbed the office chair, swinging it towards the wall. To no avail, the wall remained perfectly intact.

As Frank and Nancy struggled against the wall, Lucy continued to sob against Luke's chest. She held on to him tenderly, unable to express her sorrows. "M-my father, oh God, Luke. H-he's g-going to die." Luke pulled away from her so he could stare into her eyes. Cupping her face in his hands, he called out defiantly. "Lucy, listen to me. He absolutely will not. You understand? You have my word." He let go of Lucy and ran towards Frank and Nancy, hoping to help them break down the wall.

After several more minutes of being unsuccessful, Nancy gathered them around her, panting for air. "Okay, what does everyone have on them? Empty your pockets." Luke and Frank had hotel keys, and Lucy was carrying her day planner. Nancy had a packet of gum and a permanent marker. It was nothing of merit, but they were going to have to make do. Frank and Luke started working against the wall, using their keys as knives, hoping to carve out a piece of the wall. Lucy used Nancy's permanent marker to write an SOS message in her planner that she was hoping could be plastered on the window with Nancy's gum. Nancy shrugged at the idea, but figured she would let Lucy continue since there was really nothing else that could be done. As Nancy walked around the room, she had a sudden thought. She looked up at the area where the flat screen had emerged. It was obviously in an area of the all with plenty of wiring, but there could perhaps be a way of crawling inside the wall through the wires. She noticed the wiring trailed down to outside of the office, and figured it was worth a shot.

"Frank, Luke, come here for a moment." The two men stopped their efforts and walked over towards Nancy. "I need you to hoister me on your shoulders. I think there's a way to get out through here." She pointed towards the gap in the ceiling where the television had emerged. As they men lifted her up, she noticed a pathway along the wires that led to the ventilation system. She figured it would be their only way through. She wiggled through the wires and found herself crawling through the ceiling tunnels. Thankfully, they were roomy enough to crawl through. She summoned the others to follow her.

"Come on, Lucy. I want to make sure you follow Nancy." Luke quickly grabbed Lucy and eased her way into the ceiling gap. The men then followed, with Frank tailing behind in order to ensure Luke wouldn't escape. He was still distrustful of him. As they crawled through the tunnel, the path became more intricate, swerving left and right and forcing Nancy to choose a path to follow. She began to follow her nose, as an intoxicating sense of cake batter began to waft through the vents.

"We must be approaching the kitchen," said Lucy. "That smell is definitely from our famous chocolate obsession cake. I'd recognize its scent anywhere."

As they crawled closer towards the smell, Lucy's hunch was correct. Nancy peered down the vent and noticed a chef in the middle of spreading the chocolate icing onto the sheet cake. She hovered in the shadows in order to remain incognito (Nancy still didn't want the entire hotel to worry) and watched as the chef used a small knife to spread the icing. It was rather methodical, watching the man slowly spread the large cake with such a small knife. It was almost peculiar watching him use such a small tool to perform the task. As he finished, he quickly wiped his hands on a nearby towel to remove some of the frosting. Nancy's heart began to race as he did. The smudged napkin he left had reminded her of the same smudge she had noticed on Collins' guest list back in his office. She knew it was a longshot, but watching him use the small knife, which resembled the filet knife in the video, she just had to act on her instinct. Since the other three could not see through the vent, Nancy knew she had to take matters into her own hands. As the chef washed his hands below her, Nancy elbowed the vent screen, causing it to crash onto the man below her. She leapt out, quickly adding pressure onto the man, who was now writhing in pain below her. Lucy shrieked above, completely taken aback by Nancy's sudden urge to harm the chef.

"Nancy! What's going on?" Frank pushed Lucy and Luke out of the vent, struggling to get down to the kitchen. Whatever Nancy was after, he did not want her to go at it alone.

Ignoring Frank, Nancy grabbed the knife out of the chef's hand, hovering near his face. She quietly articulated every word. "Where are they?" The man, now bleeding profusely, looked up into Nancy's eyes and flashed a bloody smile. "Hello, Nancy." Frank had now grabbed a hold of the chef, shoving his head further into the ground. The more pain the chef seemed to be in, they more maniacal his laugh became. Nancy tried not to shutter as she gripped his face tightly between his hands. "Tell me right now where you put them." Nancy was now seething, barely inches away from his face. The bleeding man took this opportunity to lean forward in an attempt to kiss her. He failed miserably when Frank's grip quickly tightened and slammed his head even further into the ground. The chef was sidetracked and seemed to be in pain, but it was unknown due to the smile still plastered to his face.

Unable to speak clearly, the chef finally mumbled an inaudible phrase. Frank refused to loosened his grip, but brought his face closer to hear. "L-Lucy first. I want Lucy." Frank looked up at Lucy for the first time since pushing her out of the vent. Her face was pale and ghostly, as she looked towards Frank in absolute horror.

"Do you know this guy?" Frank anxiously looked between the two of them, wondering why he desired her.

"Y-yeah. S-sort of. He's our executive chef, Rucker."

"Get him off the ground. We need to bring him somewhere more private for questioning right now before someone sees us."

Frank and Luke managed to pull him off the ground, dragging him silently through the hallway towards their room. They managed to slip away without notice, since Lucy knew a less traveled back route to the room.

When they were back in their room, Frank elbowed Rucker swiftly to the nose, causing a new stream of blood to fall down his face. Although his nose seemed to be broken, the man seemed un-phased by the ordeal. Frank growled into his face, demanding answers as to where his brother was being held.

"Your request is as simple as mine," the man declared through his mangled face. "I want the girl, first and foremost." He pointed towards Lucy, who was now hiding behind Luke.

"W-what do you want with me? I barely know you."

"It's not what I want with you, sweetheart; it's what you can do for me."

"What are you talking about, you freak? Leave Lucy alone!" Luke defensively stepped towards the man, ready to tear him to shreds. Lucy pulled him back towards her, afraid of another violent outbreak.

"I have remained quite calm throughout your childish outbursts, but if you let me speak, I will make this ordeal go much more smoothly for you. As you are now questioning me, your resistance is quite futile. My accomplice is with your friends right now, ready to kill both of them at my command. If I am unable to give my signal, he will kill them in exactly fifteen minutes from now regardless. However, if you hand over Lucy, I will be happy to contact my accomplice and tell him to let them ago. It's all quite simple, really." The man smiled up at Lucy. "I want you, or your friends die. And I don't really care if I die in the process. The decision is yours."

Nancy didn't know how to react to the information. She had no idea how she was going to get them out of this situation. The man was simply a psychopath: a loose cannon, after a girl without any rhyme or reason other than to cause problems and ruin lives.

Lucy stepped out from behind Luke. She let out a long sigh before speaking. "You said that there is something I can do for you. What is it?"

"Heh heh heh….now that's the spirit, sweetheart. So selfless, you are. Worrying about the safety of others first. I really like you, you know th-"

Luke threw himself towards Rucker, clenching his hands against his throat, attempting to strangle him. Frank jolted forward, pulling Luke away from him. "Luke, stop! We need him alive."

Luke finally came to his senses, realizing the severity of the problem. Rucker simply chuckled at the situation before him. "Now, as I was saying before, I really like you, Lucy. You have quite a seductive look to you that's very sensual…it's hard to turn away from you. It also doesn't hurt that you have an abundance of wealth due to your father. It would be a shame for all of that land to go to waste. You are simply too busy to take care of all of it on your own. It's practically asking you to be shared by another man of many means. And that man happens to be me."

Lucy yelled in disgust. "You have got to be out of your mind. I would never share anything with a creep like you!"

Rucker smiled wide, exposing a horrific expression. "Well, sweetheart. You are quite brave for someone whose father is about to be killed in about eight minutes. I suggest you stop arguing and start complying."

"How do you expect for me to simply give you some of my land and escape without a problem? You think the police won't be contacted? There's no way you can just get what you want and get out without a problem!"

Rucker grinned even wider than before. "Well, you see, my dear, that's where you are wrong. I have enough information on you alone that could ruin your precious manager's position. And your swine of a father would panic if he ever knew that I had the potential to release information about him."

Lucy crossed her arms. "You're just a psychopath. I don't believe you know a single thing about my life."

"Oh really? And what about your mother, Meryl? Would it be an inconvenience to you if I told you that I knew the truth about the Berwyns?"

Lucy stared wide-eyed at Rucker, struck speechless at the confession. Nancy and Frank looked at one another, wondering what the information could possibly be to make Lucy so unhappy.

"Y-you don't know what you're talking about. It's all lies! Whatever you know is untrue!"

"Then I suppose I should just ask Fernanda."

"You watch your mouth!" Lucy's voice now reverberated against the walls. "You have absolutely no idea what you're talking about!"

"Obviously I do, my dear. So I suggest you strike up a deal with me in oh, about six minutes, before I have your father's futile existence ended!"

Frank stepped in at this moment, terrified that he would lose his brother forever. "You make that accomplice of yours stop whatever he's planning right now, Rucker! You understand me?"

Rucker calmly breathed in, stretching slightly as If the scene in front of him was simply an everyday occurrence. "Oh, I don't know, Frank. Perhaps I'll let things go on the way they are. My life would be so much simpler without the existence of two pathetic men."

Frank gritted his teeth, feeling completely helpless in the moment. Even if he killed Rucker, there would be no possible way to stop his accomplice from killing Joe and Collins. He tried to stand his ground, hoping there would be a way to change Rucker's mind.

Lucy seemed to be thinking along the same path. She didn't want to lose her father. "A-alright. I'll do whatever you want. Just please, I need to know that no one gets killed. I refuse to help you otherwise."

"Lucy, no! Stop! You don't have to believe this craz-"

"Luke, please. I need to stop this once and for all. It's up to me to change things. He's not going to let them live otherwise! Rucker, please tell your accomplice to stop whatever he is planning! I'll give you what you want."

Rucker stared at the scene before him, looking quite pleased. He chuckled slowly, relishing in the last few moments he had to call off his accomplice's plans. "Well, sweetheart. I am appreciative that you are happy to oblige, but there is one small piece of information I got to share with you." Rucker cracked his knuckles slowly. "The cell phone I would use to call off my plans was dropped out of my pocket after I was tackled to the floor. Your friends will simply have to die now."

_Sorry for the delay. I wasn't sure if this story was interesting enough to update, but due to a few loyal fans, I have decided to start posting regularly again. I will try to stick to updating every Wednesday. Please review! I appreciate any and all feedback xx_


End file.
